Standard of living is the level of wealth, comfort and necessities available to an individual in a specific area.
Quality of life is the comfort and well-being felt by an individual in a specific area.
Development is the progress sociably and economically to improve the standard of living.
MEDC- More Economically Developed Countries HIC- High Income Countries
LECD- Less Economically Developed Countries LIC- Low Income Countries
Quality of life is the comfort and well-being felt by an individual in a specific area.
Development is the progress sociably and economically to improve the standard of living.
MEDC- More Economically Developed Countries HIC- High Income Countries
LECD- Less Economically Developed Countries LIC- Low Income Countries
There are many ways of measuring Development and finding patterns. Look at the map below. This is call The Brandt Line and it shows how the north of the line is richer that the south of the line. These different parts are called The Rich North and The Poor South.
However, the Brandt Line has a few disadvantages such as:
So another way of showing development was needed.
GNP (Gross National Product), GNI (Gross National Income) or GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is the total value of goods and services in a country, measured in US Dollars. However, GNP per capita (per capita means per person) isn't the most accurate way of measuring development because it doesn't include productive activities such as subsistence farming which is simply farming but not selling or trading any of the products and instead doing it for the person's own use.
One of the best ways of measuring development is the Human Development Index (HDI). It is measured using GDP as well as Adult Literacy and Life Expectancy.
Adult Literacy is the percentage of adults who can read and write.
Life Expectancy is the average age to which a person in a country is expected to live to.
Birth Rate is the amount of births per 1000 per year.
Literacy Rate is the percentage of people (not just adults) that can read and write.
Calorie Intake is the number of calories per person.
Access to Safe Water is the percentage of people who have access to safe water for their needs.
Death Rate is the number of deaths per 1000 people per year.
- It isn't specific enough- it only has Rich and Poor
- It is slightly outdated- some countries may have developed or may have lost a lot of money
- It only uses money- it doesn't use other factors of development such as health and education
So another way of showing development was needed.
GNP (Gross National Product), GNI (Gross National Income) or GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is the total value of goods and services in a country, measured in US Dollars. However, GNP per capita (per capita means per person) isn't the most accurate way of measuring development because it doesn't include productive activities such as subsistence farming which is simply farming but not selling or trading any of the products and instead doing it for the person's own use.
One of the best ways of measuring development is the Human Development Index (HDI). It is measured using GDP as well as Adult Literacy and Life Expectancy.
Adult Literacy is the percentage of adults who can read and write.
Life Expectancy is the average age to which a person in a country is expected to live to.
Birth Rate is the amount of births per 1000 per year.
Literacy Rate is the percentage of people (not just adults) that can read and write.
Calorie Intake is the number of calories per person.
Access to Safe Water is the percentage of people who have access to safe water for their needs.
Death Rate is the number of deaths per 1000 people per year.
Test yourself below on a quizlet test on some of the key terms used to measure Development:
So what are the actual reasons for some countries not being able to develop?
How do we close this gap?
We can close the development gap in countries by using aid. This is help from other countries or places that can help countries to develop. There are four main types of aid. These are:
- Debt
- Bad Health/ healthcare
- Education- not being able to go to school due to not as many opportunities and parents not having enough money
- Not being able to grow crops to trade or eat due to a country's climate
- Women not being able to be educated or help with jobs
- Unfair trade
- War
- Corruption- this is the leaders of some countries misusing their power and therefore stopping countries from developing
How do we close this gap?
We can close the development gap in countries by using aid. This is help from other countries or places that can help countries to develop. There are four main types of aid. These are:
- Multilateral- This is aid that gets given to a country by organisations such as the World Health Organisation and the United Nations that decide who gets that aid and is usually run the the contributing countries. It has a disadvantage because it can take a long time to reach an agreement.
- Bilateral- This is aid that gets given directly from country to country however it is usually "tied" meaning it is required for the LEDC to by goods from the country that is giving the aid. An example of this aid is the Department for International Development.
- Charitable- This aid is given by non governmental organisations such as Oxfam and Practical Action.
- Emergency- This aid is a short term aid, meaning it is has fast or immediate effect. It is used for quick help during natural disasters such as tsunamis and tornados or human events such as war.