N: Development

DEVELOPMENT

1. The idea of development or progress has always been with us.
2. We have aspirations or desires about what we would like to do and how we would like to live.
3. In this chapter, we shall make a beginning for understanding development.
4. It is only through a democratic political process that these hopes and possibilities can be achieved in real life.

WHAT DEVELOPMENT PROMISES –

 DIFFERENT PEOPLE, DIFFERENT GOALS:

·        People seek things that are most important for them, i.e., that which can fulfill their aspirations or desires.

·         In fact, at times, two persons or groups of persons may seek things which are conflicting. So two things are quite clear:
(i) Different persons can have different developmental goals.
(ii) What may be developed for one may not be developed for the other. It may even be destructive for the other.

INCOME AND OTHER GOALS:

1. What people desire are regular work, better wages and decent price for their crops or other products that they produce. In other words, they want more income.
2. People also seek things like equal treatment, freedom, security, and respect for others.
3. In some cases, these may be more important than more income or more consumption because material goods are not all that you need to live.
4. Money, or material things that one can buy with it, is one of the factors on which our life depends on non-material things mentioned above.
5. There are many things that are not easily measured but they mean a lot to our lives. These are often ignored.
6. However, it would be wrong to conclude that what cannot be measured is not important.
7. Similarly, for development people look at a mix of goals.
8. The developmental goals that people have are not only about better income but also about better income but also about other important things in life.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

1. It is very important to keep in mind that different persons could have different as well as conflicting notions of a country’s development.
2. National development means thinking about fair and just path for all, whether there is a better way of doing things.

 

 

HOW TO COMPARE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES OR STATES?

1. Usually, we take one or more important characteristics of persons and compare them based on these characteristics.
2. For comparing countries, their income is considered to be one of the most important attributes.
3. Countries with higher income are more developed than others with less income.
4. The income of the country is the income of all the residents of the country. This gives us the total income of the country.
5. For comparison between countries, total income is not such useful measure.
6. Hence, we compare the average income which is the country divided by its total population. The average income is also called per capita income.
7. In World Development Report brought out by the World Bank, this
8. Countries with per capita income of USD 12736 per annum and above in 2013, are called rich countries and those with per capita income of USD 1570 or less are called low-income countries.
9. India comes in the category of low middle-income countries because its per capita income in 2013 was just US$1570 per income.

INCOME AND OTHER CRITERIA:

1. Let us compare the per capita income of Maharashtra, Kerala, and Bihar.
2. Maharashtra has the highest per capita income and Bihar is at the bottom.
3. So, if per capita income were to be used as the measure of development, Maharashtra will be considered the most developed state of the three.

PUBLIC FACILITIES:

1. Money in your pocket cannot buy all the goods and services that you may need to live well.
2. Income by itself is not a completely adequate indicator of material goods and services that citizens are able to use.
3. Normally, your money cannot buy the pollution-free environment or ensure that you get unadulterated medicines unless you can afford to shift to a community that already has all these things.
4. Money may also not be able to protect you from infectious disease unless the whole of your community takes preventive steps.

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT – Development of an individual in such a way that he can able to earn and fulfill his materialistic desire.

SUSTAINABILITY OF DEVELOPMENTS:
1. Since the second half of the twentieth century, a number of scientists have been warning that the present type, and levels, of development are not sustainable.
2. Resources are replenished by nature as in the case of crops and plants.
3. In the case of groundwater, if we use more than what is being replenished by rain then we would be overusing this resources.
4. Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state boundaries; this issue is no longer region or nation-specific.
5. Sustainability of developments comparatively a new area of knowledge in which scientists, economists, philosophers and other social scientists are working together.

 

Difference between World Bank and UNDP for development criteria

♦ United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has used the criterion of Human Development Index to measure the development of countries. HDI is calculated on the basis of:

★ Per capita income: When the total national income of the country is divided by its population, we get the per capita income.

★ Life expectancy: It measures the average age of a person in a country. It helps us to know the health facilities of the country.

★ Literacy rate: Education is also one of the most important criteria for the development of a country.

♦ For World Bank comparing countries, their income is considered to be one of the most important attributes. Countries with higher income are more developed than others with less income. 

 

DEVELOPMENT

Different persons can have different developmental goals and two, what may be development for one may not be development for the other. It may even be destructive for the other.

INCOME AND OTHER GOALS

Besides seeking more income, one-way or the other, people also seek things like equal treatment, freedom, security, and respect of others.

Similarly, for development, people look at a mix of goals.

The developmental goals that people have are not only about better income but also about other important things in life.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

It is very important to keep in mind that different persons could have different as well as conflicting notions of a country’s development.

HOW TO COMPARE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES OR STATES?

For comparing countries, their income is considered to be one of the most important attributes.

Countries with higher income are more developed than others with less income.

This is based on the understanding that more income means more of all things that human beings need.

Whatever people like, and should have, they will be able to get with greater income. So, greater income itself is considered to be one important goal.

The income of the country is the income of all the residents of the country.

PER CAPITA INCOME

Per capita income or average income measures the average income earned per person

 in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.

It is calculated by dividing the area’s total income by its total population.

In World Development Reports, brought out by the World Bank, this criterion is used in classifying countries.

Countries with per capita income of US$ 12736 per annum and above in 2013, are called rich countries and those with per capita income of US$ 1045 or less are called low-income countries.

India comes in the category of low middle income countries because its per capita income in 2013 was just US$ 1570 per annum.

The rich countries, excluding countries of Middle East and certain other small countries, are generally called developed countries.

INCOME AND OTHER CRITERIA

People not only think of better income but also have goals such as security, respect for others, equal treatment, freedom, etc. in mind. Similarly, when we think of a nation or a region, we may, besides average income, think of other equally important attributes.

The other important criteria to measure the development of any reason are:-

Infant Mortality Rate (or IMR) indicates the number of children that die before the age of one year as a proportion of 100 live children born in that particular year.

Literacy Rate measures the proportion of literate population in the 7 and above age group.

Net Attendance Ratio is the total number of children of age group 14 and 15 years attending school as a percentage of total number of children in the same age group.

PUBLIC FACILITIES

Money in your pocket cannot buy all the goods and services that you may need to live well. So, income by itself is not a completely adequate indicator of material goods and services that citizens are able to use.

For example, normally, your money cannot buy you a pollution-free environment or ensure that you get unadulterated medicines, unless you can afford to shift to a community that already has all these things. Money may also not be able to protect you from infectious diseases, unless the whole of your community takes preventive steps.

Kerala has a low Infant Mortality Rate because it has adequate provision of basic health and educational facilities.

Similarly, in some states, the Public Distribution System (PDS) functions well. Health and nutritional status of people of such states is certainly likely to be better.

NOTES:

1. HDI stands for Human Development Index. HDI ranks in above table are out of 188 countries in all.

2. Life Expectancy at birth denotes, as the name suggests, average expected length of life of a person at the time of birth.

3. Per Capita Income is calculated in dollars for all countries so that it can be compared. It is also done in a way so that every dollar would buy the same amount of goods and services in any country.

The present type, and levels, of development are not sustainable.

Groundwater

Groundwater is an example of renewable resources. These resources are replenished by nature as in the case of crops and plants.

However, even these resources may be overused. For example, in the case of groundwater, if we use more than what is being replenished by rain then we would be overusing this resource.

Non-renewable resources are those which will get exhausted after years of use.

Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state boundaries; this issue is no longer region or nation specific. Our future is linked together. Sustainability of development is comparatively a new area of knowledge in which scientists, economists, philosophers and other social scientists are working together.