Defining Development (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

Defining Development

• Development is the progress (improvements) that countries make
  

  • The progress improves the lives of the population and makes the country more independent

  • For example, improving water infrastructure so more people have a supply of clean water

• Development does not happen in a smooth, continuous process.

• A range of factors may slow, halt, and even reverse development, including:

  • War/conflict

  • Disease

  • Disasters 

  • Economic recession

Strands of Development

• Progress is not just about a country's wealth but also other areas

• These are called strands of development and include:

  • Economic - increasing levels of pay, the standard of living and productivity

  • Demographic - life expectancy, birth control, the right to migrate

  • Social - equal opportunities, access to services such as education and healthcare

  • Cultural - education, diversity, traditions and heritage

  • Political - free speech, democracy, human rights and the right to vote

  • Environmental - pollution controls, conservation

Economic Development

• Economic development is often the key to development in all the other areas

• This is dependent on three things:

  • Resources: Every country has both natural resources (minerals, soils, climate etc...) and human resources (workers, capital, technology, etc...)

  • Internal boosters: These are things which help to utilise the resources for example government intervention, businesses

  • External boosters: These are from outside the country and include Transnational Corporations (TNCs), globalisation and international agencies

• Levels of development vary on a local, national and international scale

• There are differences between areas of the same city, the same country and between countries

• At the international level, the development of a country can be categorised into one of three groups:

  • Developed - a country with very high human development

  • Emerging - a country with high or medium human development

  • Developing - a country with low human development

Cycle of Wealth

• The cycle of wealth is one of the keys to development

• Economic development creates wealth

• If a country has a stable and effective government, this also leads to development

• As the economy grows, more people work and earn more money:

  • The government can then collect more taxes and people have more disposable income to spend, which increases business profits

  • The taxes collected and profits made by companies can then be invested in future growth as well as infrastructure, education, healthcare, etc...

Human Welfare

• Human welfare is often referred to as quality of life

• Quality of life includes many components and is difficult to define

• It includes subjective evaluations of life, such as happiness 

• The different components are linked together; for example, health and environment are dependent on income, which in turn may impact happiness 

Components of Quality of Life