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Defining Development » What Is Development?

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

Edexcel spec: 9.1 (a)

What the word development means
How development can be defined using economic criteria
How development can be defined using broader social and political measures
Why different people define development in different ways

Remember, this is the first lesson of the optional Development and Human Welfare topic. In Paper 2 Section C you answer only one of the three global issues, so only study this topic if you have chosen it.

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What does development mean?

Think about two countries. In one, most people have a steady job, a safe home, clean water and a school nearby. In the other, many people struggle to find work, and some families cannot afford enough food. We would say the first country is more developed. But what exactly are we comparing? Money? Health? Freedom? The answer is that there is no single definition.

The specification says that definitions of development and human welfare vary. This means different people, groups and organisations define development in different ways. In this lesson you will learn two main ways of doing it: using economic criteria and using broader social and political measures.

Key terms:

Development: the process of a country improving its economy and the standard of living and quality of life of its people.
Human welfare: how well off people are in terms of their health, safety, comfort and happiness.
Standard of living: the level of wealth and comfort that people have, such as their income, housing and the goods they can buy.
Quality of life: how good people's lives are overall, including things money cannot always buy, such as health, freedom and safety.
Criteria: the things we use to judge or measure something.

Defining development using economic criteria

The simplest way to define development is to look at money and jobs. These are economic criteria. A country that is more developed in economic terms usually has:

Higher incomes. The average person earns more money, so they can afford better food, housing and transport.
More people in paid work. Fewer people are unemployed, and more people have regular wages.
A stronger economy. There are more businesses and factories, and the country makes and sells more goods and services.
More wealth and goods. Many families own things like a fridge, a phone or a car.

This is a clear way of thinking about development. It is also easy to compare, because money can be counted. Governments and businesses often like economic criteria for this reason. How the money is counted and compared is explained in a later lesson, Measuring Development.

The way the economy is organised also matters. Countries change over time as they move from one kind of work to another. You can read about this in the Economic Activity and Energy topic.

Why money is not enough

A country can have a lot of money and still have problems. If the money is held by only a few people, most families may still be poor. If the money is not spent on hospitals and schools, people may still be unhealthy and uneducated. So defining development using only economic criteria can give a very narrow picture.

Defining development using broader measures

Because money is not the whole story, many people use a broader definition. This looks at how people actually live. There are two groups of broader measures: social and political.

🏥 Social measures

These are about people's health, education and living conditions. They include how long people live, whether children can go to school, whether people can read and write, whether homes are safe, and whether people have clean water and healthcare. They also include equality, such as whether women and men have the same chances.

🗳️ Political measures

These are about how a country is run. They include whether people can vote in fair elections, speak freely and take part in decisions. They also include whether the law protects everyone, whether the country is peaceful and whether officials are honest rather than corrupt.

Examples of the broader measures

Health: a longer life and fewer children dying young suggests people have good healthcare and food.
Education: more children in school, and more adults able to read, gives people better chances in life.
Equality: girls and boys, rich and poor, all get fair chances to learn and to work.
Freedom and rights: people can choose their leaders, speak their minds and are treated fairly by the law.
Safety and honesty: people feel safe from violence, and leaders are not stealing public money.

Comparing the two ways

💰 Economic criteria

Focus: money, jobs, businesses and goods. Strength: clear and easy to compare. Weakness: does not show how the money is shared or how people live.

🌱 Broader social and political measures

Focus: health, education, equality, freedom and fairness. Strength: shows quality of life. Weakness: harder to put a number on, and people may disagree about what matters most.

Economic and broader measures are often linked. Better health and education can help people to earn more, and a higher income can pay for hospitals and schools. But they do not always go together. A country may have a rich economy while many of its people have little freedom, or it may have a lower income but good schools and healthcare.

Why do definitions vary?

The specification says that definitions of development vary. Here is why:

Different people care about different things. A business owner may think of profit. A parent may think of a good school. A citizen may think of the right to vote.
Different organisations have different aims. A bank may focus on the economy. A charity may focus on health and fairness.
Different places have different needs. Clean water may be the main need in one place, while another place needs jobs.
What people think matters can change. Over time, people may decide that different things are the most important signs of development.

Worked example

Question: Two towns have the same average income. In Town A, everyone can read and visit a doctor. In Town B, few children go to school and there is no clinic. Which is more developed?
Answer: Using only economic criteria, they look the same. Using broader social measures, Town A is more developed, because its people are healthier and better educated. This shows that using only one type of measure can hide differences in quality of life.

Common mistakes

Saying that development only means being rich. Always include social and political ideas as well.
Writing that there is one correct definition. The specification says definitions vary, so explain who might define it differently.
Mixing up social and political. Health and education are social. Voting rights and honest leaders are political.

Exam-style question

(a) State one economic criterion that can be used to define development. [1 mark]

(b) Explain why defining development using only economic criteria may not give the full picture. [3 marks]

Model answer

(a) Average income, or the number of people in paid work. (1)

(b) Economic criteria only show money and jobs (1). A country could have a high average income, but the money might be held by a few people so that most are still poor (1). Broader social and political measures, such as health, education and freedom, show how people actually live, which money alone cannot show (1).

Exam tip

For a "Why" or "Explain" question, make a point, then use the word "because" or "so" to explain it. A statement on its own earns only one mark.

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