Title: Introduction to World Sociology Defining development
1Introduction to World SociologyDefining
development
- What are the definitions of development and how
do they reveal value judgements? (Adapted from S
Moore)
2Introduction to World sociology
- World sociologists focus on the relationships
between and within countries, especially economic
and social differences. - E.g. in 1997 the richest 1/5th of the worlds
population had an income 78 times as great as the
poorest 1/5th .
3The industrialised world is the richest (i.e.
North America, Western Europe, Japan and
Australasia.) The non-industrialised world is the
poorest (i.e. most of Africa, South and Central
America, Indian subcontinent and most of East
Asia)
4The following characteristics have been used to
rank countries in terms of development or progress
- Ranking into Separate Worlds
- First world. (Western capitalist countries)
- Second World (former communist countries)
- Third World (the developing world)
- Disadvantage dated because of the collapse of
the USSR and we are all in one world! - Geographical ranking
-
- North and South
- Advantage - this is a quick rule of thumb
- Disadvantage - it is geographically incorrect as
there are many industrialised countries in the
south E.g. Australia
5Countries ranked according to wealth
- Rich countries
- Poor countries
- Advantage - it shows inequalities of wealth
between countries - Disadvantages i) it conceals inequalities of
wealth within countries. - ii) Does not show social progress e.g. increases
in life expectancy even if not a wealthy country
6- Economic industrial ranking of development or
progress - MEDCs Most Economically Developed Countries
- NICs- Newly Industrialised Countries
- FCCs - Former Communist Countries
- LEDCs Less Economically Developed Countries
- LLEDCs - Least economically Developed Countries
- Feminist ranking of development or progress
- Fourth World - this includes all women in a
patriarchal world (Radical Feminist) - Fifth World this includes women who are used as
a cheap labour force (Socialist Feminist)
7Two main ways of measuring development
- Development as economic wellbeing
2 Development as social well being
8 Development as economic well-being eg GNP
- Gross National Product
- Used by economists, functionalists, policy makers
and New Right to indicate position of countries
in terms of development - Advantages - allows for comparisons between
countries - Disadvantages
- Data can be unreliable (and thus not comparable)
- Overlooks domestic production for home
consumption and the informal economy - Conceals inequalities within countries
9Measuring Social Wellbeing
- The United Nations devised the Human Development
Index (HDI) measures e.g. adult literacy rates,
life expectancy at birth etc. - Those at the top of this index are seen as the
most developed in terms of social well-being.
E.g. USA life expectancy is 76.4 years and
Nigeria was only 51.4 years. - But it is possible for countries to have a low
GNP but a high HDI e.g. Cuba
10Western influence on definitions and perceptions
of development or progress
- Development is arguably influenced by western,
industrial, capitalist, patriarchal views because
it is - ethnocentric
- has a negative view of cultural values of
developing countries. (e.g. extended families) - sees western industrialisation as perfect and
ignores its own problems such as poverty
pollution
11- sees western Democracy as better than socialist
models of development - 5 creates problems in the developing world e.g.
loss of homeland and internal inequalities - applies a blanket approach to developing
countries and ignores diversity between and
within them - is seen by critics as a sham because its main aim
is to exploit and subjugate rather than assist
the developing world. Thus the widening gap
between rich and poor countries - (But the Asian Tiger economies do appear to have
successfully followed western development model)
12Alternative models of development/progress
- Those rooted in the religious beliefs of the
- developing world e.g. Islam
-
- Those who see liberation from the West as the
main way of development or progress - Rejection of western-style democracy and
economics - e.g. Socialist countries such as Cuba.
- People centred/local models of development, where
the local community are given a voice and power
regarding their progress