What does economic growth lead to?
A rise in living standards and less poverty.
What is a criticism of economic growth leading to a rise in living standards and less poverty?
Not everyone will benefit equally and some people may lose out.
What does social development cover?
- Health
- Education
- Democracy.
- Human rights
- Gender equality.
- Happiness and wellbeing.
What is the GNI
The total value of good and services produced by a country in a year.
Why do sociologists use GNI with caution?
- Economic growth does not cover all aspects of economic development. This does not mean that things like education and health are improving.
- It is an average of the whole population so it conceals things such as inequalities. A high GNI does not mean a high standard of living for everyone in the population.
- It only accounts for what has happened in the ‘official economy’. Therefore it leaves out things such as growing food for one’s own consumption. These are often carried out by women so therefore the GNI can be seen as gender bias.
- Continuous economic growth is unlikely to mean sustainable development. It can often be accompanied by things such as a rising crime rates and the loss of community as well as environmental degradation.
- It is difficult to calculate it accurately. I.e in 2006 Ghana’s was recalculated and was 60% higher than previously thought.
What are some commonly used measures when looking at sustainable development?
- Education: % of children attending school & the proportion of people who can read and write.
- Health: Child + infant mortality rates. Mortality rates in general and the ratio of doctors and hospitals in comparison to the population.
- Democracy: Whether or not there are free and fair elections.
- Gender equality: Difference between males and females in education, health, politics and other measures.
Who produced the Human development index?
The united nations.
How is the human development index measured?
- Material standard of living (GNI per capita)
- Education
- Health
What three indices does the human development report include?
- The multidimensional poverty index: It looks at poverty through measures of health, education and living standards.
- The gender inequality index: This measures the disadvantages that women face.
- The inequality-adjusted human development index: If a countries people are all equal the IHDI is the same as its HDI.
When were the MDGs meant to be achieved by?
2015
What was set up in 2015 in order to replace the MDGs?
Sustainable development goals.
How many sustainable development goals were there?
17.
Are the South the rich or the poor countries?
Poor.
What fraction of the world’s population does Collier’s ‘Bottom billion’ account for?
1/6 th
What was colliers view on the Millennium development goals?
They were misguided as the needed to be focuses on the bottom billion only.
What was the Marshall plan?
This rebuilt shattered economies of Western European countries such as France and England after the 2nd world war.
It is believed that as this worked for the first world countries it is likely to work for the third world ones too.
What key sociologist can the Modernisation theory be linked to?
Rostow’s model of the five stages of development.
What are the criticisms of the Modernisation theory?
- It can be seen as an ethnocentric approach.
- It argues that the only was that development will take place is to follow in the footsteps of the North.
- It is based on whether the economy is a mass consumer.
What do Modernisation theorists believe impedes development?
- Traditional values.
- Lack of Western values i.e deferred gratification.
- A high birth-rate.
- A shortage of people with entrepreneurial skills, and the desire to compete and succeed within business.
- A lack of the necessary institutions and organisations for economic growth.
- A lack of technology.
What are some methods of helping countries transition their values from traditional to modern?
- Cities could act as centers of western values.
- Education
- Mass media.
What do dependency theorists believe thwarts development?
Obstacles being imposed from the outside rather than from within:
- Colonialism: It never ended but instead it brought about neo-colonialism. This is where the conditions were the same but it was less direct and obvious.
- The world capitalist system which they need to break away from.
What does the Dependency theorist Chang say?
The developed countries have made the poorer countries poor. It is also within their interests to keep them poor- Chang.
What do Dependency theorist say about history in relation to the underdeveloped countries?
It is essential to look at history when understanding the situation that they are in today. I.e:
- Mercantile capitalism: Merchants in Europe would travel the world in search of things like cloth, spice and jewels. This period also saw the beginning of the slave trade, and the triangular trade. A minority of Spanish explorers would loot treasures from others.
- Colonialism: Colonial powers took their toll over different parts of the world rather than simply trading with them. They were exploited for things such as cheap food and labour. Industries such as the cotton one in India was destroyed. Borders were imposed which bore no consideration to where people lived. Cash crops were also introduced.
- Neo-colonialism; People in the colonies had been influenced by the ideas of equality and freedom. In some cases lots of wars were fought. However, according to Dependency theorists they gave up their political control but not their economic control. They also had to overcome things such as colonial ideology.
What type of relationship are Developing countries locked into?
One sided relationships.
