What is development?

Development is the progress a country makes in wealth and quality of life. The development gap is the difference between the richest and poorest countries.

• MEDC — More Economically Developed Country (higher income, better services).
• LEDC — Less Economically Developed Country (lower income, poorer services).

Development is uneven both between countries and within them.

Social & economic indicators

We measure development using indicators that fall into two groups:

• Economic indicators measure wealth: GNI per capita (average income per person), the share of workers in farming, and access to technology.
• Social indicators measure quality of life: life expectancy, literacy rate, infant mortality, and doctors per 1,000 people.

No single indicator gives the full picture — a country could be rich from oil yet have low literacy, so we combine several.

Sort each indicator

Tap an indicator, then tap the group it belongs to.

The Human Development Index

The Human Development Index (HDI) combines three measures into a single score between 0 and 1 (higher is better):

• Health — life expectancy at birth.
• Education — years of schooling.
• Income — GNI per capita.

Advantage of HDI: because it blends social and economic measures, it gives a fairer, fuller picture of quality of life than income alone. A country can be fairly rich but score lower on HDI if health or education lag behind.

Why use HDI?

Your turn — the income gap

Your turn — literacy rate

What holds LEDCs back

Several factors make it hard for LEDCs to develop:

• Historical — colonialism drained resources and drew unstable borders that still cause conflict.
• Environmental — droughts, floods, tropical diseases and poor soils damage farming and health.
• Dependence on primary activities — relying on exporting raw materials (crops, minerals) whose prices swing wildly and add little value.
• Debt — repaying loans (plus interest) leaves little money to spend on schools, hospitals and infrastructure.

Why is primary dependence risky?

The Sustainable Development Goals

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global targets to reduce poverty and inequality by working sustainably. Examples include:

• Goal 1 — No Poverty.
• Goal 4 — Quality Education.
• Goal 6 — Clean Water and Sanitation.

They aim to develop in a way that meets today's needs without harming the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

Appropriate technology

Appropriate technology is small-scale, low-cost technology suited to local skills, materials and needs — it is easy to maintain and sustainable. Examples:

• Solar cooker — uses free sunlight to cook, saving firewood and cutting deforestation and smoke.
• Hippo Water Roller — a barrel that rolls along the ground so one person can move far more clean water with less effort.

These help communities directly without huge cost or reliance on outside experts.

Fair trade & its advantages

Fair trade guarantees producers in LEDCs a fair, stable minimum price for goods such as coffee, cocoa and bananas, plus an extra premium for the community.

• Farmers earn a reliable income and are protected from sudden price crashes.
• The premium funds local schools, clean water and healthcare.
• It encourages better working conditions and more sustainable farming.

How does fair trade help?

Globalisation and the BRICS

Globalisation is the way the world's economies and cultures are becoming more connected through trade, transport, communications and transnational companies (TNCs).

• Helps development: TNCs bring jobs, investment and new skills; exports can grow rapidly.
• Hinders development: profits may leave the country, jobs can be low-paid, and local businesses can be undercut.

The BRICS — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — are large, rapidly industrialising economies (NICs) narrowing the development gap.

Case study flag: CCEA uses a BRICS case study such as India or China. Check any specific figures (growth rate, GNI, numbers employed by TNCs, dates) against your class notes before quoting them.

Match each term to its meaning

Tap a term on the left, then its matching meaning on the right.

What does BRICS stand for?

The big ideas to know

You've covered all of CCEA Theme C — Contrasts in World Development. Press Finish to see your score.