Measuring development

Starter task Name two economical indicators of development Name two social indicators of development Why is it sometimes misleading to use only one indicator of development?

Comparing social and economic indicators Generally, countries that score highly on economic indicators also do well according to social indicators. This is because they can use their wealth to provide proper schooling, hospitals, food and decent housing. Countries with little wealth just cannot afford to provide all of these social services for their people.

Combined Indicators of Development Indicator of development China India GNP per person ($) 4,940 1,410 Energy used per person (kg) 1,807 566 Life expectancy (years) 72 64 Calories per person, per day 2,970 2,300 Adult literacy (%) 92 74 As we have seen before, using just one indicator can be misleading. Often, a range of social and economic indicators are used. e.g. Above, China and India have been compared using five indicators. According to these, China is more developed than India

Alternatively, a range of indicators can be used to produce a single combined index. Two examples of these are: The Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI) – this combines: Life expectancy These produce an index from 0-100 Infant mortality A PQLI of over 77 is considered Adult literacy good. The higher the index, the better the quality of life of the country The Human Development Index (HDI) – this combines: Life expectancy These produce an index from 0-1 Adult literacy An HDI of 0.8 or above is GNP/person considered developed Cost of living School enrolment

Task two Answer the following questions: Why do countries that score highly on economic indicators usually also score highly on social indicators? Why is it more reliable to use several indicators? What factors make up the PQLI? If a country has a PQLI of 86, is it considered more or less developed than a country with a PQLI of 53? How many of the factors that make up the PQLI are a)social and b)economic What factors make up the HDI?

Revision on the effects of a slow growing population In most developed countries the birth rates and death rates are low and their populations are rising only slowly, if at all Their population structure would look like this

There are few children in the population because the birth rate is low There are many adults because in the past the BR was higher There are also many old people because the death rate is low and most people live to an old age

Population structure for the UK, 1950 and 2012 The number of old people in the population is increasing rapidly (this is know as ‘the greying of the population’) More money is needed to pay for pensions, care services, meals on wheels, health etc. A decreasing number of people for the armed forces, and fewer potential parents Age Group 1950 (%) 2012 (%) 0-14 22 18 15-64 67 63 65+ 11 19 Population structure for the UK, 1950 and 2012 Developed countries are concerned about their slow population growth

Policies for a slow growing population: More paternity leave More maternity benefits Raise retirement age Encourage more women to work Allow more immigrants Encourage people to take out private pensions

Disadvantages of rapid growth: In rural areas farms are becoming smaller and they need to be farmed more intensively – this makes the soil poorer More trees are being cut down to provide fuel, building materials and to create more land for farming This in turn allows the soil to be blown away or washed away - the land becomes even more infertile, fewer crops grow, the people become poor and hungry and many move to cities

Disadvantages of rapid growth: In urban areas population is increasing even more rapidly due to the immigrants from the countryside There aren’t enough houses for everyone so people build their own shacks which lack even basic amenities such as toilets and water supply There are not enough jobs for everyone so unemployment is high and crime increases Traffic congestion worsens, schools and hospitals are overcrowded

Controlling rapid growth Laws limiting family size Provide information on how to reduce births Educate females Provide opportunities for abortion and sterilisation Give incentives to limit family size

Revision Using your textbook work through the national 5 questions in the population chapter