reasons for variations in devt

8/8/2019 Reasons for Variations in Devt

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DEVELOPMENT

Reasons for variations in development


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Essential Questions for this chapter:

Why does Uneven Development Exist?

What are the factors that lead to variations of

development between countries of the world?

Why is there a need to understand factors affecting

variations of development?


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Definition of Uneven Development

Uneven development refers to the different levels

of development between countries. The indicators

of development include economic well-being, health

and education standards.

Uneven development is a result of the twin

processes of development and underdevelopment.

These processes are affected by many factors,including:


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Case Studies

Initial disparity in development due to

Favourable physical conditions to

grow cash crops such as cotton,

coffee and cocoa

Advancements in technology add

value to raw materials useful

products

Availability of low-skilled labour Availability of higher-skilled labour

Harvest cash crops to export to

colonial masters

Cash crops processed for sale to

other countries in Europe.Disparity in development widen further

Slow development basic

infrastructure built

Continue to develop technology

Education & environmental

sustainability not developed

Industrialise further

Angola Portugal


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Countries that were colonised because of their

strategic locations were able to develop faster

than countries which possess raw materials. For

example, Singapore built on its initial strength and

developed its port and city by building

infrastructure.


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N Physical reason 1 Presence of raw materials

In general, countries with plenty of raw materials

develop faster than countries that have few or no

raw materials.

However, this pattern of development might not be

sustainable due to negative impact upon the

environment.

Examples of raw materials: Iron Ore, Logs, etc.


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Case Study of Nigeria

1950s: Crude Oil Discovered

Extracted raw materials & SoldOverseas Huge profits

Environment damaged by oil

exploration

Local water supplies polluted People

affected & became sick

The standard of living and quality of life

in Nigeria remain low.

Development in Nigeria is still slow.


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N Physical reason 2 Climate

Temperate Climatic

regions

Tropical regions

- Favors development to

some extent as it is

suitable for growing

important crops such

as wheat and oat

- High temperatures and

low rainfall make

climatic hazards such

as droughts very

common

- Development progress

is hindered.

- E.g. Cool and moist

climate in Canada and

the USA suitable for

growing wheat and oat.

- E.g. Droughts in Mali

and Ethiopia are fairly

common.


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DCs LDCs

- Greater access to technology to

overcome many limitations of

climate

- Less access to technology

- Few resources to overcome the

problem of insufficient water

(caused by drought)- Agricultural produce decrease

- Loss of income

- Possess more money and resources

to manage floods

- A more structured flood rebuilding

programme in place

- Allows the development pace to be

relatively resilient

- More vulnerable to floods than

DCs

- Lack money and resources to

manage floods and to rebuild areas

damaged by floods

- Slows the pace of development


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Case Study of Netherlands Case Study of China

- Flood-prone country

- Government implemented a series of

flood management programmes

- Zuider Zee Project started in 1920 to

control flooding.

- Technology enabled Netherlands to

overcome potential problems of

floods.

- Land is reclaimed from an inland sea

called the Zuider Zee

- Four polders (reclaimed land) with a

total land area of 166 000 hectares

were created by 1968.

Advantages

Reduced flood occurrences

Polders used for farming and

settlements.

- Experience floods every year along

rivers such as Yangtze River and

Yellow River

- Floods occur mainly in RURAL areas

- The countrys poorest people are

severely affected due to frequent

destruction of their lives and

livelihoods.

- As such, they continue to experience

a low standard of living.


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Zuider Zee Project


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O Economic Reason

Cumulative Causation

On an international scale, the DCs tend to be core

countries, while the LDCs tend to be periphery countries.

Why does uneven development exist between DCs and

LDCs? What process creates the phenomenon of core and

periphery areas?

The process of cumulative causation can be used to

explain this phenomenon of the creation ofC

ORE andPERIPHERY areas. Cumulative causation results in

uneven development.


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Definition of Cumulative Causation: It is the

movement of people and resources from the

periphery area to increase the wealth of the core

area. After the initial effort to develop the core, the

growth of the core undergoes a multiplier effect,

resulting in benefits driving to further development.


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Initial development

of the core

Increase in employment

and population

Expansion of existing

industries and

establishment of new

businesses

Improvement of

infrastructure and services

Further development of

the core

Increase in demand for

goods and services


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Advantages Disadvantages

The spread effect, which is the spread

of wealth and knowledge from the core

to the periphery, will benefit the

periphery areas.

The backwash effect, which is the flow

of labour and raw materials from the

periphery to the core, leaves the

periphery area at a disadvantage.

e.g. Development can take the form of

centrifugal growth (outward-oriented).

Singapore helps Indonesia to develop

its local economy in Bintan and Batam

by sharing its tourism expertise while

Indonesia provides Singapore with

natural resources such as sand and

granite.

e.g. Workers from Bangladesh and

Philippines (periphery countries) leave

to work in core countries such as

Singapore. Hence, these countries are

drained of their labour for

development.


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P Social Reason 1 Education

In general, DCs have a higher literacy rate than LDCs

because of the following reasons:

Greater wealth to build schools

Greater resources to train teachers

Higher spending of the countrys GDP on education

With more people in the country being able to read

and write, people is DCs are more likely to work in the

secondary and tertiary industries and contribute to a

higher standard of living within the country.


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LDCs have a lower literacy rate mainly because of

the following reasons:

Little money and resources to spend on education

Majority of the population involved in agricultural

activities government makes little effort to educate

the people.

Political uncertainty and turmoil in some countries

leading to social unrest and people unable to attend

school.


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P Social Reason 2 Population

Growth Rate

Population Growth Rate =

Birth rate Death Rate + Net Migration


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Fast population Growth Rate

- BR>DR

- Population increases rapidly- Possible overpopulation

problems ofinsufficient food

and housing

- Standard of living is affected

- E.g. Kenya, Nigeria and

Ethiopia

- Mainly the LDCs


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Slow Population GrowthR

ate- BR slightly greater than DR

- Slow population growth due to

people having fewer children as

a result ofhigher cost of livingand changing lifestyle

preferences.

- Underpopulation

- Affect future development of

countries

- E.g. Norway and Japan

- Mainly the DCs


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Q Political reason 1 Political conflict

Definition of conflict

Conflict refers to a state of disagreement that may

result in violence and bloodshed. Conflicts may

occur in the form of wars or political instability.

How is conflict related to development?

In general, countries which experience a lot of

conflicts would undergo a slow rate ofdevelopment.


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How does conflict affect development?

Civil war will affect the economy and peoples

livelihood. For example, Cambodias civil war in 1970s

had left many innocent people killed and businesseswere affected severely.

A lack of political stability will deter investors from

setting up businesses in these countries. For example, the

current situation in Myanmar has caused many potential

investors to be fearful and they refrained from any

economic activity within the country.


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Sierra Leone - LDC Switzerland - DC

Political conflict and social

instability since 1990s due

to civil war

Long history ofpolitical

stability and peace

Bottom second of the

2005 UNDPHuman

Development Report

GDP of US$30 552

One of the poorest and

least developed countries

in the world

One of the most

developed countries in

the world


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QPolitical reason 2 Leadership

Definition of Leadership

Leadership is a process of setting directions,

motivating people into action and working towards

a common goal.


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How is it related to development?

Good leadership is important for a countrys

development.

Countries which are progressing well in their

economic, health and education sectors are run by

governments that are efficient and development-

oriented.

They are also dedicated to meeting the needs andaspirations of their people.


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Country Norway China

Major Source

of income

Petroleum Traditionally mainly from agricultural

activities; manufacturing companies

were state-owned

Policies

implemented

by government

- Profit cap for petroleum

producers

- Rest of the money goes to

Norwegians

- Wealth generated is shared with

the people

- Economic reform to open up

Chinas economy since 1980

- Attracted a lot of investment and

foreign trade

Demonstration

of good

leadership

leading to

development

- Government played an important

role to implement the policy to

help Norway achieve a high level

of development.

- China has the highest economic

growth rate in the world due to

good leadership.


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Good Leadership among different stakeholders at

various scales

In order for development to take place smoothly,

many countries are working hand-in-hand with non-

governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as

international organizations such as the United

Nations (UN) to build strong governments.


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Why is there a need to understand factors affecting

variations of development?

Geographers, in their study of development,

expose the underlying reasons behind the spatial

variations of development, so that strategies can

be devised to alleviate such a situation.

reasons for variations in devt

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