Dynamic Development

The level of development of a country shows how economically, socially, culturally or technologially advanced that country is. The way in which countries are classified is changing. 

In the past, the Brandt line was used, which divided the planet into the rich north and the poor south. However the world has changed a lot in the last 20 years and the Brandt line is now too simplistic. For example, China and India areno longer seen as poor countries.

Development in countries can be measured in several different ways. Some are economic measures, and others are social measures.

Development is measured using the Human Development Index (HDI). HDI is calculated by the United Nations. It measures average life expectancy, level of education and income for each country in the world. Each country is given a score between 0-1 and the closer a country gets to 1, the more developed it is.

The Demographic Transition Model (DTM) shows population changes over time. There are 5 stages in the DTM and these stages can be linked to levels of development. 

The factors influencing development are often linked and countries can find themselves in a cycle of poverty. For example, if a country is in a lot of debt, it cannot afford good schools. if people are uneducated they are less likely to understand about the causes of desertification. That leads to poor crop growth and low incomes. This leads back to the country accumulating debt and the cycle continues. 

Uneven development creates diffrences between countries. Advanced counties (ACs) have a lot of money and so they have he power to make decisions the affect LIDCs.

Many LIDCs have a shortage of safe, clean water and have low levels of health. They don't have factories, so they have to sell materials in their raw form. Raw materials usually sell for a much lower price meaning these countries earn less. LIDCs also have high levels of international migration, as people move to find work and a better standard of living. This results in fewer people of a working age and increased proportion of dependent people. 

ACs have good, clean water supplies and sanitation systems. Thye are able to buy raw materials for a low price and process them into a more expensive product. Their imports cost less than their exports meaning they have a good balance of trade. They are able to become wealthier as a result. ACs usually have stable governments and so any money earned is used to benefit the people in that country. 

Long-term aid tries to solve a problem so that it never happens again, such as the construction of a dam to provide a clean water supply.

Short-term aid solves an immediate problem like providing shelter for victims after an earthquake. It's sometimes called 'crisis aid'. 

Government aid is funded by taxes paid to central government, while charity (or non-government) aid is funded by voluntary contributions from the public. Charity groups are sometimes referred to as non-government organisations (NGOs). Examples are groups like Oxfam, save the chlidren, comic relief and shelterbox.