Introduction to World Sociology Defining development - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Introduction to World Sociology Defining development

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Introduction to World Sociology Defining development What are the definitions of development and how do they reveal value judgements? (Adapted from S Moore) – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Introduction to World Sociology Defining development


1
Introduction to World SociologyDefining
development
  • What are the definitions of development and how
    do they reveal value judgements? (Adapted from S
    Moore)

2
Introduction 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 .

3
The 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)
4
The 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

5
Countries 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)

7
Two main ways of measuring development
  1. 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

9
Measuring 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

10
Western 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)

12
Alternative 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
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