The Human Development Index And More IB SL

The Human Development Index (And More) IB SL

Key Questions. . . 1. What is it and what does it do? 2. Is it more accurate than using GDP as an indicator of development? How? 3. What does it show/not show and how useful is it to show developed countries are?

Human Development Index

Human Development Index (HDI) • • • HDI – A socio-economic measure Focus on three dimensions of human welfare: Longevity – Life expectancy Knowledge – Access to education, literacy rates Standard of living – GDP per capita: Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)

Human Development Index • Used by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to measure development. • HDI is measured by combining the following three indicators: • Life expectancy. • Education levels. • Income person.

Human Development Index (HDI) Coloured world map indicating Human Development Index (as of 2003) ██ over 0. 95 ██ 0. 90 -0. 949 ██ 0. 85 -0. 899 ██ 0. 80 -0. 849 ██ 0. 75 -0. 799 ██ 0. 700. 749 ██ 0. 65 -0. 699 ██ 0. 60 -0. 649 ██ 0. 55 -0. 599 ██ 0. 50 -0. 549 ██ 0. 45 -0. 499 ██ 0. 400. 449 ██ 0. 35 -0. 399 ██ 0. 30 -0. 349 ██ under 0. 30 ██ N/A

Other Indicators Of Development 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. GDP. • How do each of these indicators help to show Infant Mortality. how developed Birth Rate. countries are? Death Rate. • What are the Literacy Rate. advantages and Human Suffering Index. disadvantages of using each as an indicator of development? • What do they not tell us about?

GDP Advantages Disadvantages • A useful figure for comparing countries. • Often used to rank countries to establish a fair system of aid payments. • Is a good indicator of the state of the economy and provision of services. • Fairly easy to calculate from official government figures. • Can hide inequalities as it does not show the distribution of wealth. • Can be manipulated by governments who want to appear poor to collect more aid. • Does not take into account subsistence or informal economies which are very important in less developed countries.

Infant Mortality Advantages Disadvantages • Indicates quality of health care, water quality, food supply. • Very easy indicator to understand. • Focuses on one of the most significant aspects of development. • Hard to get an accurate figure as many births in the less developed countries would be un-registered. • Evidence from some countries that the level of enfant mortality is well above that disclosed. • High infant mortality could be a result of social or political factors. For example in China the figure would be very high because of the countries one child policy.

Birth Rate Advantages • Clear indicator of a countries level of development. • Can be used for predicting the future situation and planning accordingly. Disadvantages • Can be affected by population policies such as China's one child policy. • Figures in less developed countries not necessarily accurate.

Death Rate Advantages • Indicates level of health care provision, water quality, sanitation, and living conditions. • An easy to use indicator. Disadvantages • Does not actually tell us what is responsible for the high death rate. For example a high death rate could be a result of a natural disaster not poor health care. • Very difficult to get accurate figure from the less developed world.

Literacy Rate Advantages • Indicates the amount of education on offer. • Shows how many children could/couldn't attend school. Disadvantages • Takes no notice of other skills the people may have which are equally valuable for example a good understanding of farming techniques. • When used on its own doesn't tell us whether the figure is a consequence of too few schools or the fact that children are having to work.

Human Suffering Index • A country is ranked from 0 to 10 for each of the following indicators (0= V. good, 10=V. bad) • • • Life expectancy. Daily calorie supply. Access to clean water. Per capital income. Civil rights. Political freedom. Inflation. Communications. Percentage in secondary school. Immunisation of infants.