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). However, on the other hand economists will link
development to developed/developing economies and will use GNP (Gross
National Product) and GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to measure it.
These are examples of two definitions of development, however it needs
to be said that technological improvement and justice are also
interrelated features which need to be considered. This essay will
detail will examine how development is defined and the relative
inaccuracies which surround it.
Good, you define terms and introduce the purpose of the essay
As mentioned above, many economists use GNP or GDP to measure
development. GNP maybe defined as the total value, or output of goods
and services which a country produces which become available during a
period of tie (usually a year) for consumption or saving plus foreign
investments. GNP is usually expressed per capita. Explain why and
possibly give some examples of different countries.
GNP does have its weakness because it does not take into account
inequalities in income, it only states the national average. It does
not take into account general costs of living, as well as regional
variations. A more realistic measure of differences would be to
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... It can be deduced that although social and economic indicators do have
their relative
merits, they have many weaknesses. Generally, it can be said that
economic indicators measures the wealth of the country but gives
little indication of the standard of living of the majority of people.
The World Bank does classify GNP as an economic indicator of
development but stresses that,
'Classification by income does not necessarily reflect development
status'
Expand on the reasons behind this. You should also name your source
Social indicators may seem to be better indicators because they revel
the general standard of living in a country; however they do not
reflect inequalities in income distribution. They also don't take into
account constant review as definitions and concepts of the term
development change.
For the childhood and elder age group, there are several stage theories that describe what life is generally like at these time periods. Two famous psychologists that contributed to theories about aging stages were Lawrence Kolhberg and Erik Erikson. Kohlberg was responsible for the development “ladder” of moral thinking throughout the ages (Myers 168). Children were expected to have a preconventional morality, meaning that they have a morality based on self-interest. Elders were expected to have a postconventional morality, which would mean having consideration for ethics and using reasoning and logic.
Well as we all know Jean Piaget was an very important person in our history. Piaget was born August, 9th 1896 Piaget died of unknown causes in September , 16 1986 they would like to think he died of old age. He was born to Arthur Piaget and Rebecca Jackson in Neuchatel, Switzerland. His mother was a very kind and energetic woman but she did have small temper problems and it made family life very hard in the household of Piaget’s family. His mother’s mental disorder is one of the main things used to inspire Piaget’s desire for the cognitive thinking of the mind. He also became interested in pathological psychology during this time. His father was a very well dedicated man with his writings of medieval literature. At just the age of 11 Piaget was already starting his career as a researcher, because he had recently wrote a short paper on an albino sparrow. Shortly after that he continued to study natural sciences and also received his Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Neuchatel in 1918.
In order to promote healthy development based on the four theories and the developmental tasks of middle adulthood, the nurse and S.O. devised a plan by setting a list of goal for S.O. to work toward. S.O. and the nurse agreed that as the client, S.O. will continue to manage and maintain a healthy balance between career, finances, and family. S.O. will also continue to contribute positively to her family by caring for her grandchildren and being a positive influence for them. Furthermore, she will continue to be active in her church by teaching Sunday school and leading a girl’s bible study. Seeing as S.O. does not like people and would prefer not to participate in group activities, the nurse and S.O. decided that S.O. will try to talk to more people her age at church as she develops her toleration of others opinions and actions. In order to deal with the stress more communication may cause S.O. and to improve her mental health S.O. will allot an hour or two a day to alone time so she can just be quiet and get away from stressful circumstances and people. S.O. will also work on accepting the changes in her body due to the hysterectomy and aging process. She will attempt to feel less frustrated by these changes and let her anger passes quickly. Finally, S.O. will continue to look to God and her husband for support, while continuing to grow these relationships daily. The client will continue to build intimacy with her husband, even though sex is no longer essential.
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.
There are various theories of development which have an influence on current practices in schools today.
Theories of development helps use understand the needs and want that children go through during different stages of their lives. For instance, Erickson theory of development believes there are eight stages that we go through at different times in our lives. The first stage is trust vs mistrust which occurs during infancy and when a child is around a year and a half. If an infant does not trust that their needs such as food and love will be meet by their caregiver it will cause a conflict which can cause mistrust and insecure attachment. According to () “a child whose needs have not been met reliably in infancy is more likely to have problems with trust throughout life, and caregivers will find it difficult to form relationships with such youngsters
What is the definition of human development? Human development is the process of enlarging people’s freedom and opportunities, to improve their well-being. Children are like aliens to our world, knowing nothing about our world or what it has to offer. In this essay I discuss how children develop using and comparing 4 types of developments: cognitive development, social development, psychological and psychosexual development. Along with those developments there are theories like psychoanalytical and psychosocial theories. I will be comparing two different age groups to show the developments and compare how different those developments and theories are between the ages 0-7.
“GDP measures the monetary value of final goods and services—that is, those that are bought by the final user- produced in a country in a given period of time (a quarter or a year). It counts all of the output generated within the borders of a country.” (International Monetary Fund. n.d.)
All over the world, disparities between the rich and poor, even in the wealthiest of nations is rising sharply. Fewer people are becoming increasingly “successful” and wealthy while a disproportionately larger population is also becoming even poorer. There are many issues involved when looking at poverty. It is not simply enough (or correct) to say that the poor are poor due to their own (or their government’s) bad governance and management. In fact, you could quite easily conclude that the poor are poor because the rich are rich and have the power to enforce trade agreements, which favor their interests more than the proper nations. This is a very serious problem in our society today. Poverty is everywhere and it needs to reduced so that our economy will be more stabilized and balanced that it has been. What does it mean to be poor? What does it mean to describe a nation as “developing”? A lack of material wealth does not define one as deprived. A strong economy in a developed nation does not mean much when a significant percentage or a majority of the population is struggling to survive. Development usually implies an improvement in living standards such that a person has enough food, water, and clothing, a stable social environment, freedom, and basic rights to have a fair chance for a decent life. Is this actually progress? On the other hand, are we fooled into believing that it is? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services placed the poverty level for a family of four at $16,450 in 1998, and the poverty rate in 1996, according to the HHS, was 13.7 percent, or 36.5 million Americans. (Egendorf: 1999, 12). Is there really a way to measure poverty, and to decide exactly what poverty is? Hunger, income level, housing and the economy’s condition of the working poor are just a few example of what needs to be considered when measuring the poverty levels in our nation. Poverty expands and contracts and its definition changes in accordance with temporary exigencies, including the interests of those who propound the definitions do the counting, which means that there is no concrete definition of poverty, except for the numbers. (Valentine: 1968, 13). Poverty is not something that has just recently become an issue; it has been around for many years. The economy has been a major influence on the levels of poverty in our nation. In 1973, poverty increased ...
As Escobar points out in The Problematization of Poverty, one of the many changes in the post-WW2 era was the "discovery" of mass poverty throughout the world. This "discovery" had massive implications for development discourse. Prior to WW2, development discourse was limited to the colonial experience. But with the end of colonial rule lurking on the horizon, western academics began to formulate theories of economic growth and "modernization." As a result, an entire genre of academic research emerged: the development discourse. The aim of development discourse was to chart out patterns of growth (which were based on the historical successes of the West) that newly independent countries could use, primarily to escape vicious cycles of poverty, famine, etc.
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...
When looking through the topic of development, two drastically different ways to assess it arise. The majority of the western world looks at development in terms of per capita GNP. This means each country is evaluated on a level playing field, comparing the production of each country in economic value. Opposite this style of evaluation is that of the alternative view, which measures a country’s development on its ability to fulfill basic material and non-material needs. Cultural ties are strong in this case as most of the population does not produce for wealth but merely survival and tradition.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines development as the act or process of growing or causing something to grow larger or more advanced. We live in a world that is continuously developing, in ways that we cannot even begin to try to describe. Nonetheless, The World Bank measures indicators of development. To do this, they look at three-hundred and thirty-one different indicators which cover a vast number of areas, including agriculture, aid effectiveness, climate change, economic policy, education, energy and mining, environment, the financial sector, poverty, science and technology, social development, and urban development. The World Bank’s World Development Indicators data is has been used for over fifty years as the standard by which development is measured. While this list may seem like a comprehensive, all-inclusive list, it does not consider the idea of sustainable development. While development for the sake of advancement may seem like a good option for an undeveloped country, it can be argued that development that is not sustainable is not development at all, but merely the illusion of one.
McMichael, Philip, ed 2012. Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective, 5th ed. London: Sage Publications, Inc.
Development originated in the colonial era, when Europeans constructed domestic and imperial government systems and concentrated within the emerging national states as industrial system fueled by the products of colonial labor regimes (McMichael, p. 2). In the 19th century, development was understood philosophically as the improvement of humankind. European political elites interpreted development practically, as a way to socially engineer emerging national societies (McMichael, p. 3). In the post WWII, United State was concerned how to shape the future of the newly independent states in ways that would ensure that they would not be drawn into the communist Soviet bloc. Motivated by this concern, the United States enlisted its social scientists