Introduction to World Sociology Defining development

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Introduction to World SociologyDefining
development

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

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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 .

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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)
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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

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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

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• 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)

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Two main ways of measuring development

• Development as economic wellbeing

2 Development as social well being
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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

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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

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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

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• 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)

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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