Development

• Factors that affect quality of life

  • Economic
  • Social (education, access to services)
  • Technology
  • culture
  • Food security
  • Water security
• Ways of measuring development

  1. Gross domestic product (GDP)
  2. GDP per capita (GDP divided by the countries population)
  3. Gini coefficient (economic equality)
  4. Gender Inequality index
  5. Corruption perceptions index
• Measurements in the Human development index

  • GNI per capita (Gross National Income)
  • Life expectancy
  • Years in education
• Physical factors for uneven development

  • Really hot or cold countries struggle to grow food
  • Lack of raw materials means less products are sold
  • Natural disasters can halt development
• Historical factors for uneven development

  • Countries who become independent from their old colonies will be less developed
  • European colonies took many natural resources and slaves from countries in Africa in the 19th century
• Economic factors for for uneven development

  • Countries who have poor trade links
  • Countries who are in a lot of debt
  • Countries that export primary products (raw materials)
• Uneven development in the UK

  • Unemployment is higher in the North east of England and Lowest in the South west
  • Overall people in southern England are healthier than in the North of the UK
  • GCSE results are better in south of England than in the Midlands and the North
• Physical factors for uneven development in the UK

  • Wetter and cold climate in the North makes farming less productive
  • Hard to build infrastructure due to mountainous terrain
• Economic factors for uneven development in the UK

  • The South has better transport links to mainland Europe and the rest of the world
  • London is a global financial centre, having 4x as many jobs
  • Government invest in new infrastructure in the south
• Historical factors for uneven development in the UK

  • London is a capital city so it gets lots of investment
  • The decline in heavy industry had an impact on the North of the UK
  • some areas in the North east have struggled to develop
• Effects of Uneven Development

  • Housing - People can build informal housing (e.g Slumbs) which are poor quality and easily destroyed in natural disasters
  • Health - lack of clean water, healthy food and health care means people can suffer from disease and their is lower infant morality
  • Technology - some people can't access the internet
  • Employment - some people work for long hours with low pay
  • Education - lack of education means children can't learn the skills to get a good paid job
  • Food security - lack of food means malnutrition and starvation
• International strategies to reduce uneven development

  1. Inter-governmental agreements - countries work together to increase development that involve Inter-governmental organisation (E.g United nations)
  2. International aid - Money or resources is given by one country to other. Short term aid is used in emergencies
• Top down - Government, organisation, TNC

  + Often used for large projects that aim to improve the lives of a lots of people

  + Projects improve long term development

  = Expensive

  = Corrupted governments may uses funded money on something else

  = High tech projects make countries reliant on tech rather than people
• Bottom down - local community

  + Aim to improve the quality of life for the poorest people

  + Local people get a say in what happens

  + Projects employ local people

  + Cheaper

  = Most money comes from charities which relay on donations

  = Small scale projects don't benefit everyone

  = Different organisations may not work together