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Unlock This CourseIn Measuring Development you saw that countries can be compared using indicators such as GDP per capita and the HDI. When we map that data, a clear pattern appears. Some places have a high level of development and human welfare. Others have a much lower level. This difference from place to place is called uneven development.
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Maps of the HDI show the same broad pattern. Countries in Europe, North America, Australia and parts of East Asia, such as Japan and South Korea, mostly have high scores. Norway and Switzerland are examples of countries with very high human development.
Most of the countries with the lowest scores are in Africa south of the Sahara. Some are also in parts of South Asia. In between are many middle-income countries, such as Brazil, India and China, where development is rising quickly but is still not the same everywhere.
High GDP per capita and HDI. For example, Norway and Switzerland.
Growing economies with a mix of rich and poor areas. For example, Brazil and India.
Low GDP per capita and HDI. Many are in Africa south of the Sahara.
When you describe a global pattern in the exam, name the continents or regions, say which have high and low values, and mention any exceptions. Use data from the map or table if you are given it.
Development is uneven inside countries too. An average for a country hides big differences between regions.
This happens in low-income and high-income countries alike. In a poorer country the gap is often larger, because there is less money to build roads, schools and clinics in remote places.
Social, historic and economic factors explain these differences. Five key ones are shown below. They often work together.
Many countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean were once ruled by European countries. Railways and ports were built to carry raw materials out, not to link local towns. Much of the profit left the country. Colonial borders were drawn by outsiders, which can split or force together different groups of people. Many countries became independent in the 1950s and 1960s, but they started with weak economies.
Poorer countries often sell raw materials, such as cocoa or copper, while richer countries make the processed goods, such as chocolate, which sell for much more. So the biggest profits go to the richer countries. Rich countries can also place taxes called tariffs on imports, which makes it harder for poorer countries to sell processed goods to them.
Countries borrow money to build roads, power stations and schools. If prices of their exports fall, repaying the loans becomes hard. Money paid as interest cannot be spent on health care and education, so welfare stays low.
War destroys homes, roads, schools and hospitals. It forces people to flee and puts off businesses from investing. A country affected by conflict for many years, such as South Sudan, often falls behind its neighbours.
Climate can limit development. Drought in dry regions, such as parts of the Sahel, makes farming risky and can lead to hunger. Hot, wet tropical climates help diseases such as malaria to spread, so people are ill more often and lose time at work and school. Being landlocked, such as Chad, makes trade slower and more costly as goods must cross other countries to reach a port.
The factors rarely act alone. A country that was colonised may have started with few schools and little industry. It then relies on selling raw materials, borrows money when prices fall, and finds it hard to escape debt. If conflict follows, progress stops. Rich countries have often gained from a long run of steady growth, so the gap between rich and poor places can keep growing. This is why the pattern is hard to break.
(a) Describe the global pattern of development shown by the HDI. [2 marks]
(b) Explain how colonialism and debt have led to uneven development. [4 marks]
(a) Most of the countries with a high HDI are in Europe and North America (1). Most of the countries with the lowest HDI are in Africa south of the Sahara (1).
(b) Colonialism: raw materials were taken from colonies and the profits left the country, so little money was left for schools and hospitals (1). Transport such as railways was built to export resources, not to link local towns, which limited local trade (1). Debt: countries had to borrow money, and if export prices fell it was hard to repay (1). Money spent on interest cannot be spent on health care and education, so welfare stays low (1).
For an explain question, use linking words such as because, so and which means. Each mark needs a factor and the effect it has on development.