The Development Gap: Measuring Development

Development is the use of natural and human resources that work towards advancing the standard of living
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
1. The total value of goods and services a country produces in a year. Often in US dollars ($).
2. It is a measure of wealth.
3. As a country develops it get higher.
Gross National Income (GNI)
1. The total value of goods and services people of that nationality produce in a year. (i.e. GDP + money from people living abroad). Often in US dollars ($). Also called Gross National Product (GNP)
2. It is a measure of wealth.
3. As a country develops it gets higher.
GNI per head
1. This is the GNI divided by the population of a country. It's sometimes called GNI per capita
2. It is a measure of wealth.
3. As a country develops it gets higher.
Birth rate
1. The number of live babies born per thousand of the population per year.
2. It is a measure of women's rights.
3. As a country develops it gets lower.
Death rate
1. The number of deaths per thousand of the population per year.
2. It is a measure of health.
3. As a country develops it gets lower.
Infant mortality rate
1. The number of babies who die under 1 year old, per thousand babies born.
2. It is a measure of health.
3. As a country develops it gets lower.
People per doctor
1. The average number of people for each doctor
2. It is a measure of health
3. As a country develops it gets lower.
Literacy rate
1. The percentage of adults who can read and write.
2. It is a measure of education
3. As a country develops it gets higher.
Access to safe water
1. The percentage of people who can get clean drinking water.
2. It is a measure of health.
3. As a country develops it gets higher
Life expectancy
1. The average age a person can expect to live to.
2. It is a measure of health
3. As a country develops it gets higher
Human Development Index
1. This is a number thats calculates using life expectancy, literacy rate, education level (e.g. degree) and income per head
2. It is a measure of lots of things
3. As a country develops it gets higher.
Many of the measures are linked - theres a relationship between them (correlation)
1. E.g. Countries with high GNI tend to have low death rates and high life expectancy because they have more money to spend on healthcare.
2. E.g. Countries where a high percentage of people have access to clean water have low infant mortality rates because fewer babies die from waterborne diseases.
These measures have limitations when used on their own
1. The measures can be misleading when used on their own because they're averages - they don't show up elite groups in the population or variations within the country.
  1. E.g if you look at the GNI of Iran, it might seem quite developed as the GNI is quite high, but in reality there are some really wealthy people and some poor people.
2. They also shouldn't be used on their own because as a country develops, some aspects develop before others. So it might seem that a country's more developed than it actually is.
3. Using more than one measure or using the HDI (which uses lots of measures) avoids these problems.

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The Development Gap: Measuring Development

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	Created by Alice Jakob over 8 years ago