How and why the definition of development has changed Essays

How and why the definition of development has changed Essays How and why the definition of development has changed Essay How and why the definition of development has changed Essay How and why the definition of development has changed The definition of development has changed radically, and was first only characterized by using economic indicators as its primary factor. Predominantly, economic Is the mall contributing factor, however, in modern times, living conditions, and other contributing factors to the well-being of a population has helped manipulate whether a country is developed or not. Basing development on the economic status was commonly used decades ago; however the deflation of It has become less narrow In the 21 SST century, with broader concepts other than the wealth of a country being seed. This Is mainly because as times have changed, so have peoples pollens on the significance of certain Indicators, with less focus aimed at how much Different factors can help determine what development means, with social, environmental, political and sustainability all being used Communication and travel networks have developed over the past few decades, with the first electronic computers introduced in the 1 sass. This has provided people with the Web, and thus an extensive source of information that people can utilize it make them aware of global affairs and the tuitions of other foreign countries. This has helped people become aware of how to differentiate between different levels of development, as they can identify strengths and weaknesses from current affairs either through social networking, or other forms of media. Sociability is a significant factor as a lack of community spirit or unity can help show that even if a country is producing a vast output, that relationships between people may be mixed. Subsequently a countrys development needs to help reflect the extent of social well-being. Environmental and sustainability are closely interlinked when defining development, as a country shouldnt be regarded as developed if the environment is being neglected for a countrys growth in wealth. In addition, if resources are being depleted for this necessary short term development then it is going to effect the future generations ability to grow, so development has had to take into consideration the sustainability of these countries. If future generations have a limited opportunity to utilize resources then a country is not truly developed, so In addition, there was a very vague generalization that the Brandt line presented a split in development of countries. The Brandt line has adapted Its shape In recent times, with some southern hemisphere countries developing at such a rate they cannot be regarded as Inferior to some northern counterparts. Despite the anomalies, the Brandt line Is still used to represent a North/ South divide between those countries who are developed and those who are not. Even though It remains quite true even today with the revised definition, It Is still vague and Is often disputed. Another reason that the definition may have changed Is the Improvement f the ethics and morals of people In modern society. Many people now have an ethos of equality between social classes and because of this; It has been seen as quite offensive to label something as third world. Using the notion of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd world hierarchy system has meant its very difficult to escape from it as there is class an hence less developed is something of the past, with each country developed within their own right. The main reason, as aforementioned, that the definition of development has changed, is because the concept has evolved further from Just economically developed. Before, acronyms such as LED and MED (Less Economically Developed Country and More Economically Developed Country respectively) were used but in recent times, they have been scrapped and OLD and MAD have been replaced for them instead. This represents a huge shift from the idea that economic prowess was the only factor that contributed to whether a country was developed or not. Economics Just shows the wealth of a country and how many goods or services it can produce within a year. Whilst the level of production and standards of living can be closely linked, it cannot be proven that welfare increases in all cases where there is economic growth. As a result, other factors have been used in collaboration with economics so a more even and fair definition of development could be used. Literacy has been conceptualized traditionally as having a major role in developing a nation. Literacy helps to spread awareness among the people of their rights. People with good literacy skills enjoy a higher standard of living, have better opportunities of finding Jobs, and are able to continue to learn new skills that will help them in the workplace. A nation with high literacy rate is more keel to attract a large pool of investors and entrepreneurs as well as the inflow of money which in turn have a great impact on the nations economy. A societys economic prosperity and literacy have great influence on each other as they Jointly grow together. As a result of this, more people are sharing opinions on how development should be characterized, which has led to a shift away from economic toward a more diverse spread of criteria. Only those who are narrow-minded have allowed development to be branded in such a simplistic fashion, but with the increase in education, there are less people who share that narrow-minded view.