What is Development?

What does Development bring to mind?

What does the word development bring to mind? The latest cars, 'state of the art' technology, expressways, high rise buildings? These, no doubt, are indicators of material development but by themselves don’t mean much. A nation which has these trappings of development but where the citizens have no access to basic human rights, where society does not foster values of equality, justice and so on can hardly be said to be developed regardless of how much technology it possesses. Development is thus more than just material acquisitions.

How is development measured?
However, development has traditionally been measured in terms of material wealth, such as GDP (Gross Domestic Product). This actually measures the amount of money flowing through an economy, whether it contributes to a better quality of life or not (accidents and disasters are good for GDP as they generate expenditure). Money from logs, for example, is counted as part of a country's income, but the depreciation of the forest as a result is not calculated by GDP. Unpaid labour (e.g. volunteering, caring, bringing up children) is also left out, though some studies show that this represents 50% of all productive work in societies. More recently alternative measures of development have been created, such as the Human Development Index (HDI), the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW) and the Genuine Progress Indicator(GPI).

The King of Bhutan measures Gross National Happiness as a measure of progress! >>Find out more

What are the characteristics of development?

1. Development is a process, an evolution, and not a one-time occurrence.

2. Development cannot be super-imposed by external forces. It is an internal process. For example, if a country purchases technology, infrastructure and know-how, it does not mean that the country can be called developed.

3. Development is not absolute and will mean different things to different people. For example, in India an important part of development is family planning to slow the rate of population increase, while in a Northern country with a declining population, measures to increase population growth may be considered.

4. Development is personal as well as national. The idea of the nation state is becoming increasingly questioned as more and more issues are looked at from different local, regional and global perspectives. Development starts with the individual, spiritually, morally and culturally and moves out to these wider contexts.

Next: What is sustainable development? >>

1 "The basic purpose of development is to enlarge people's choices. In principle, these choices can be infinite and can change over time. People often value achievements that do not show up at all, or not immediately, in income or growth figures: greater access to knowledge, better nutrition and health services, more secure livelihoods, security against crime and physical violence, satisfying leisure hours, political and cultural freedoms and sense of participation in community activities. The objective of development is to create an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives."

Mahbub ul HaqPakistani economist who created the Human Development index for the United Nations Development programme2

http://hdr.undp.org/hd/default.cfm

UN Human Development Index explained

www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/sustainable_development/progress/

Discussion of ISEW

www.humboldt.edu/~envecon/ppt/309/unit4/tsld027.htm

ISEW and GPI (Genuine Progress Indicator) explained

3 See www.globalideasbank.org and Sander Timmerman on GNH at www.neweconomics.org

4 Environmental politics: People's lives and development choices, Sumi Krisha, Sage 1996

5 "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated."Mohandas 'Mahatma' Gandhi

6 Brundtland Report http://www.brundtlandnet.com/brundtlandreport.htm

7“Sustainable Cities”• Earth care – concern for the environment• People care – meeting people’s needs• Fair share – use of local and global resources”(see ‘Planning a sustainable city’ ACTIVITY)

8 " A 'sustainable city' is organised so as to enable all its citizens to meet their own needs and to enhance their well-being without damaging the natural world or endangering the living conditions of other people, now or in the future." (Girardet 1999)

11 The UK Local Government Association has developed a set of key features that make up a sustainable society: www.lga.gov.uk/

People are not unaware of the social and environmental problems they face. In fact, more often than not, people have learnt quite a lot about them - from the media, social movements, scientists, governments and, most importantly, their daily experience. Consequently, there is a need to move beyond awareness raising, and to engage people critically and creatively in their own communities, planning and engaging in action for socially just and ecologically sound development at the local level.

"From Rio to Johannesburg: Lessons learnt from a decade of commitment, UNESCO 2002 www.unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001271/127100e.pdf13

Sustainability Rating for Homes - The Ecological Footprint Component www.york.ac.uk/inst/sei/IS/sustain.html

14 WWF Living Planet Report 2002

www.wwf-uk.org/filelibrary/pdf/livingplanet2002.pdf15

Quoted in 'The Right Lesson?'

www.wwflearning.co.uk/printable/page_0000000605.asp16 www.chss.montclair.edu/anthro/FactSheet.htm

Kerala Factsheet and'The Little Earth Book', James Burges, Alistair Sawday Publishing 200017

'Beyond the ecological footprint?' www.wwflearning.co.uk/printable/ page_0000000212.asp18 www.internationalbudget.org/resources/library/GPB.pdf10 Main factors contribute to urban growth· national economic development· urban accumulation of political and financial power· import substitution· economic globalisation· access to global food resources· technological development· cheap energy supplies· expansion of urban centres transport systems· migration from rural areas· reproduction of urban populations(Girardet 1999)