INTRODUCTION
Through the ages, economists worldwide have developed different measurements, statistics and standards in order to have an anchor number on how to rate whether they be the development, their perceived inequality among other variables within a country. Because of this, and on the endeavour to unify the measurement of the current situation of a country, the United Nations via the ‘United Nations Development Program’ in 1990 developed and first published their ‘Annual Human Development Report’ featuring for the very first time in history the ‘Human Development Index’ (Stanton, 2007).
According to the United Nations (UN), Human Development is the process by which society can improve the living conditions of its citizens through an increase of the goods used to meet their basic and complementary needs and thorough the creation of an environment of respect of the human rights. Human Development is also regarded as the amount of options a human being has got on his own environment to do what he wants to (freedom) and achieve things (potential of personal development).
The concept the United Nations proposed with their Human Development Index (HDI) tried to be a ‘founding ground’ on a new way of understanding and assessing the human-wellbeing stressing the ‘living’ rather than the means of attaining it (GDP). Thus, proposing an index that could function as a standpoint for economic and as well as social improvement. Among the various components found in the HDI there are 3 important ones: Health, Education and Wealth (United Nations Development Programme, 2013).
Nevertheless, this indicator, since its conception, never stopped being criticised. (Srinivasan, 1994) Suggested that poor data quality was rampant in the HDI cal...
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...ng low levels of HIV even within Europe, where the countries with lower HDI (west Europe) present high HIV rates compared to those on East Europe where the HDI accounts higher numbers.
In the African continent, HIV and AIDS related diseases are a dominant public heath burden
AIDS IN EUROPE AIDS IN AFRICA
In 30 years, the HIV/AIDS became, from a cluster of small isolated outbreaks occurring only within risk groups to a global pandemic ingrained in the current world and a public health woe. Nevertheless, thanks to the effort of scientists worldwide, this condition went from a ‘death sentence’ to a chronic disease that needs daily medication for life, at least in developed countries. Even with this evident gains, the pandemic stills menaces to whirl without control in the world poorest countries, where medication is simply unaffordable or simple not available.
Gadrey, J. and Catrice, F,J. (2006). The new indicators of well-being and development. New York::Palgrave Macmillan.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized as a new disease in 1981 when increasing numbers of young homosexual men succumbed to unusual opportunistic infections and rare malignancies (Gallant49).During this time, many people were contacting this disease because it was not discovered yet and people did not have knowledge about it.Scientists believe HIV came from a particular kind of chimpanzee in Western Africa. Humans contracted this disease when they hunted and ate infected animals. A first clue came in 1986 when a morphologically similar but antigenically distinct virus was found to cause AIDS in patients in western Africa (Goosby24). During this time, scientists had more evidence to support their claim about this disease. Once discovered this disease was identified as a cause of what has since become one of the most devastating infectious diseases to have emerged in recent history (Goosby101). This disease was deadly because it was similar to the Black Death, it was killing majority of the population. Since its first identification almost three decades ago, the pandemic form of HIV-1 has infected at least 60 million people and caused more than 25 million deaths ...
The Human Development Index rates each country with a score between 0 and 1, with 1 being the most advanced, globalized country. Factors that are involved in determining a country's HDI are gross domestic production per capita, life expectancy at birth, adult literacy, and the number of persons enrolled in educational institutions. In 1975, Peru's Human Development Index was 0.643. By 2003, the Human Development Index had risen more than one tenth to 0.762. The substantial increase in Peru's HDI is a clear indication that globalization has made a positive impact.
Standard of Living, in a purely material dimension is the average amount of GDP per person in a country (therefore determining access to goods and services). However the term has a much broader, non-material dimension involving issues of quality of life and are therefore much more difficult to quantify. There is no single measure of SoL, but a range of indicators, which can be used together to give a good idea of a countries’ SoL. Reasons for GDP figures alone giving an incomplete understanding of SoL in a country will be explained in this essay, along with problems faced when comparing levels of development between countries.
The World Bank (1997) stated that “widespread poverty and unequal income distribution of income that typify underdevelopment, the lack of choices and the inability to determine one’s own destiny fuel the HIV epidemic.” Contestably studies from African countries which delve deeper in to the root causes and impacts of the correlation between HIV/AIDS and poverty through analysing statistical epidemiological and socioeconomic data suggest that there is a notable correlation between the spreading of HIV/AIDS and wealth / more prosperous states within Africa.
The Human Development’s concepts, theories and so on give me a better understanding to explain why people act in different kind of situation that they have. Make me more appreciate the value of taking Human Development class.
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, commonly known as HIV/AIDS is a disease, with which the human immune system, unlike in other disease, cannot cope. AIDS, which is caused by the HIV virus, causes severe disorder of the immune system and slowly progresses through stages which disable the body’s capability to protect and instead makes it vulnerable for other infections. The first blood sample to contain HIV was drawn in 1959 in Zaire, Africa while molecular genetics have suggested that the epidemic first began in the 1930s (Smallman & Brown, 2011). Currently, according to the Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS, 35.3 million people worldwide are living with HIV. In 2012, an estimated 2.3 million people became newly infected with the virus and 1.6 million people lost their lives to AIDS (Fact Sheet, UNAIDS). It is due to the globalized international society that a disease which existed in one part of the world has managed to infect so many around the world. Globalization is narrowly defined by Joseph Stiglitz as "the removal of barriers to free trade and the closer integration of national economies" (Stiglitz, 2003). Globalization has its effects in different aspects such as economy, politics, culture, across different parts of the world. Like other aspects, globalization affects the health sector as well. In a society, one finds different things that connect us globally. As Barnett and Whiteside point out (2000), “health and wellbeing are international concerns and global goods, and inherent in the epidemic are lessons to be learned regarding collective responsibility for universal human health” (Barnett & Whiteside, 2000). Therefore, through all these global connections in the international society, t...
The AIDS virus is the most common disease, and with no cure, an infected person will die. It is estimated that 90 to 95 percent of AIDS infections occur in developing countries where the world’s worst living conditions exist.
In international parlance, development encompasses the need and the means by which to provide better life for people in poor countries and it includes not only economic growth, although that is crucial, but also human development like...
The Problems of Defining Development Development is very difficult to define as it has a wide range of meanings and has therefore been used in a variety of ways, by different people or organizations at different times. For example, geographers will link development with improvements in human welfare. e.g. greater wealth, better education and health. Many geographers will measure development in terms of the countries HDI (Human). Development Index.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Human Development Report (2000) Human Rights and Human Development (New York) p.19 [online] Available from: [Accessed 2 March 2011]
The topic that I have selected for my chapter evaluation essay is that of “Economic Development”. This paragraph above is the best summary of the chapter’s contents. In this chapter the author discusses the influence of development on the three worlds of countries. These worlds are benchmarks set to assess countries economic states relative to each other.
United Nations Development Program (UNDP). (2000). Human development report 2000. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press.
McMichael, Philip, ed 2012. Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective, 5th ed. London: Sage Publications, Inc.
HIV does not only affect the well-being of individuals, it has large impacts on households, communities and even nations as a whole. Peer discussions and personal research has also made me realize that some of the countries suffering from this HIV epidemic also rather unfortunately suffer from other infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis, relative poverty and economic stagnation. Despite these setbacks, new inte...