There are various ways to measure development. You can use indicators to measure how developed a country is. There are, of course, problems with using these indicators which we will learn about in the next post.
Why use Indicators?
- They allow us to compare countries/regions using a standard measurement
- Countries/regions can be ranked
- We can chart progress over time
- Give us a snap shot of the country/region at one point in time.
EXAM TIP: Do not be lazy with indicators in the exam:
Give indicators full titles and include unit of measurement; percentages, rates per 1000 and amounts/person
Measuring development is not as simple just looking at a map! Different developmental indicators measure different aspects of development. These can be divided into social and economic. See bullet points below.
EXAM TIP: YOU WILL NEED TO KNOW BOTH SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FOR THE EXAM.
Economic (Standard of Living)
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total value of goods and services produced by a country in a year.
- Gross National Product (GNP) measures the total economic output of a country, including earnings from foreign investments.
- GNP per capita is a country’s GNP divided by its population. (Per capita means per person.)
Social (Human Development or Quality of Life)
- Life expectancy: the average age people of a given population are likely to live to.
- Literacy rate: the % of people who can read and write within a population
- Death rate: the number of people who die per 1,000 people
- Birth rate: the number of people who are born per 1,000 people
- Infant mortality rate – counts the number of babies, per 1000 live births, who die under the age of one.
Task
Create your own developmental indicator.
How would you measure either of the following:
- Equality between men and women
- Quality of infrastructure
- Political freedom
- Happiness?
Geo-Revision 