Get That Grade

World Development

!	There are no mapwork activities in Units 9 and 10 of Get That Grade! Instead Unit 9 has an activity on Photos and Field Sketches, and Unit 10 gives you sound advice on Sitting The Exam

World Development
In its simplest form development means growth of a country's economy. However, this is not enough for most geographers, so they consider that development also means an improvement in the standard of living of the majority of the people.

Growth in the economy often does lead to improvement in living standards, but this is not always so. Therefore geographers need to think very carefully about how to measure development.

The problem has been made even more complicated in recent years. Geographers have realised that development can destroy the environment that people depend on. If this happens the outlook for future generations is bleak, so people have to look for ways to make sure that development can be sustained in the future. Development that conserves the environment is known as sustainable development.

It may be difficult to define 'sustainable development' well. However, it is quite easy to say what is 'unsustainable development'. If development is unsustainable you can say 'We just cannot carry on like this. We are destroying the things that we rely on.'

The idea of sustainable development is a very important one for the future of humanity. It is also a very topical theme in GCSE geography. That means that there are two very good reasons for knowing and understanding case studies and ideas concerned with this idea. Your hard work on this section of the course will help you to get a better grade but it might also make you a person better equipped to work for the future development of the human race. What more could you want from your hard work!

Measuring wealth
Make sure that you understand the meaning of:

gross national product (GNP)
GNP per capita (or GNP per person)
quality of life measurements - including.

.human development index (HDI) which is a combined measure of:

adult literacy (education)
life expectancy (health)
GNP per person (wealth)

Other figures can also be used to indicate level of development, including:

employment structure (see Get That Grade! Test 8)
birth rate and death rate per 1000
infant mortality rate
life expectancy
diet (calories/person/day)
energy consumption
number of people/doctors
level of ownership of goods like telephones, TVs, cars, etc.
level of newspaper readership

You do not need to learn this list. However, one or more of these might come up in a question, so be prepared to explain why each of them could be seen as a good measure of development.

All of these are influenced by wealth. More money means better health care, or better education, or more consumer goods - but that is not the only factor involved. Many of these show how well the money is distributed amongst the population. They also show what the government's priorities are - health, education or private wealth - to a certain extent at least. Explain some of these factors if you wish to gain high level marks. 'They show how rich the country is.' is a very low level answer.

The North-South divide
The Brandt Commission, an international body set up in the 1970s, recognised that the world was divided into two:

the rich north (which included Australia and New Zealand)
the poor south

The Commission felt that the differences between the two were unacceptable, and urged the rich countries to do something to improve conditions in the poor south.

You should be able to recognise the map drawn up by the Commission, and explain some of the reasons for the differences between the North and the South.

You should also be able to comment on some of the suggestions which have been made for improving conditions in the South. These include:

multi-lateral aid, from organisations like the World Bank
bi-lateral aid, where the government of a rich country offers to help a poorer country
voluntary aid, from organisations such as Oxfam, CAFOD, Medecins Sans Frontieres, etc.
trade agreements, where rich countries agree to take some manufactured goods from poorer countries - or at least not to put up high tariffs against their exports
cancellation of debts of poor countries
agreements where poor countries agree to conserve their environment, and richer countries compensate them for the income that they lose because of this.

Each of these suggestions has both strengths and weaknesses. You need to be able to write about:

specific projects which fit at least some of the suggestions above
the benefits of those projects - for both the rich and the poor countries
the problems that might be caused, especially for the poor country.

Small-scale projects
Many people think that small-scale development projects provide the best value for money. Some advantages are:

development agencies can work with local people
they build on the experience and culture of the local people
they take account of local knowledge of the environment
they meet the needs of the people and do not impose an outsiders view of what is needed
they can train local people to set up and run the scheme, rather than importing outside experts which would mean that the project could collapse when the experts left.

The local needs that are met by such small-scale projects often include:

providing water supply - wells or small-scale storage rather than large scale dams
education, especially for women and girls
health care - often primary health care which relies on nurses with basic training, rather than highly trained, expensive doctors
small-scale manufacturing, to meet local needs rather than producing for the export market
schemes to improve local farming - e.g. using stone strips to conserve water - rather than massive investment in fertilisers, new seeds, machinery and other intensive methods.

Have you studied a major dam scheme in an LEDC? These make excellent topics for case study revision. They usually involve references to climate and to river flow (physical geography), to traditional agriculture and the changes that are brought about by development, to energy supplies (HEP) and possibly also to transport (if the dam improves navigation on the river). Many issues are involved - such as what should happen to people whose homes are flooded? It is also fairly easy to list benefits and problems caused by such developments.

Finally, if you are learning about a major dam scheme, please try to learn a sketch map to show the development. Then, having learnt it, do remember to use it in your exam!

Consider why each of the above, small-scale schemes may well be better value than the large scale schemes that are mentioned as contrast. Then make sure that you have learnt details of at least one small-scale scheme.

Is development sustainable?
You must consider this question in all your revision on development. One very good strategy is to learn examples of development projects from the same area - one of which should be sustainable and the other unsustainable. For instance, in Amazonia most forestry development is unsustainable, because trees are not replanted. However, there are some small areas where new trees are planted to replace all those that are cut down. This is sustainable.

In other parts of Amazonia 'eco-tourism' projects are being set up. These projects are set up so that people can come and see the rainforest, its wildlife, and even the lives of the native tribes. Profits from the tourism are then put back into conservation of the forest. Such projects often employ many native people, so that their wages help to sustain the traditional way of life. This contrasts with many of the mining and ranching developments, which are using up the resources of the region at an alarming rate.

Export-led development
Some countries have been able to achieve development through the growth of their industry, especially by concentrating on production for export. Such countries are often referred to as NICs - Newly Industrialising Countries.

Brazil was one of the first countries to attempt this type of development. It was quite successful in the 1960s and early 1970s, but it relied on loans and investment from foreign countries. When interest rates shot up in the 1970s Brazil found that it had crippling debts, and has had to go through a severe economic crisis since then.

Most other NICs are found in southeast Asia. The first four countries to develop through industrialisation were known as the 'tiger economies'. They were South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines and they achieved very rapid growth in the 1980s and 90s. They have been followed by the 'tiger cubs', including Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. Now, even China and India are starting to develop important industries - at least in some areas.

Is conservation more important than development?
Some people say that development cannot be sustainable. They say that economic growth is destroying the environment and will make life on Earth unsustainable in a short time. These people argue that growth should be stopped.

The people who say this are usually from the developed countries of the North. They are usually financially prosperous. If growth is stopped then that condemns the poor of the South to live in continued poverty. The attitude which says we should stop growth is sometimes called 'pulling the ladder up after you'.

In other words 'We have developed, and used the world's resources and made ourselves wealthy. We have climbed up from our state of poverty. But no-one else should be allowed to climb that ladder - because, if they did, it might threaten our prosperity. So we are going to call a stop to growth'.

Should any future potential for economic development be shared equally between the poor countries of the South and the rich countries of the North? Or should the poor South be encouraged to develop further, whilst growth in the North is slowed down or stopped?

Some of the issues connected with this argument are discussed in the last Topic Task - 10. These issues lie at the heart of GCSE geography. You should be prepared to discuss them in your exam if you are hoping to get a high grade.