Development

Introduction:

Development refers to the progress or improvement in different aspects of life

such as income, education, health, and quality of life. It varies from person to
person based on their needs and aspirations.

What is Development?

• Development refers to growth, advancement, or improvement in different

areas of life.
• People have different goals for development—for example, a farmer may
want better irrigation facilities, a businessperson may aim for higher
profits, and a worker may seek better wages.
• National development means the overall progress of a country in areas
such as the economy, healthcare, education, employment, and
infrastructure.

Different People, Different Goals

Development is not the same for everyone.

Example:

1. A landless labourer may want more job opportunities.

2. A rich businessman may want higher profits and better market access.
3. A girl from a village may want better education and equal opportunities.
Conflict in Goals

Sometimes, what benefits one person or group can negatively affect another.
For example, setting up a factory may create employment opportunities, but it
can also cause pollution that harms the health of nearby residents.

Another example is building a new highway—while it improves transportation

and trade, it may lead to the displacement of people living in that area.

Income and Other Goals

A person have two development goals:-

1. Material things – money, house, land, car etc.

2. Non-material things _ friends, freedom, dignity, equality, respect etc.

People prefer to earn more income to fulfil their daily requirements of

life. However, this is not the only component.
They want, equal treatment, freedom, education opportunities, security
and respect for their jobs, peace, a pollution free environment and so
on…
Example: A teacher may prefer a job with job security and respect over a
higher-paying but insecure job.

How to Compare Different Countries or States?

We often compare people based on certain important characteristics, and

similarly, when comparing countries, income is considered a key factor.
Generally, countries with higher income are regarded as more developed
than those with lower income. The total income of a country is the sum of
the incomes of all its residents; however, this is not a very useful measure
for comparison because countries differ in population size. Therefore,
average income, also known as per capita income, is used, which is
calculated by dividing the total income of a country by its total
population. The World Bank, in its World Development Report,
classifies countries based on per capita income.
 • Countries with a per capita income of US$ 49,300 per annum and
above in 2019, are called high-income or rich countries.
• Countries with a per capita income of US$ 2500 per annum or less are
called low-income countries.
• India comes in the category of low-middle-income countries because its
per capita income in 2019 was just US$ 6700 per annum.

Limitations of Per Capita Income

• Average income hides the disparity.

• Average income does not tell us the distribution of income among people.
• It is just a material criterion for the comparison.

Income and other criteria:

Let’s understand from a example:-

Among the three states, Haryana has the highest per capita income, while
Bihar has the lowest. Therefore, if per capita income is used as the basis for
measuring development, Haryana would be regarded as the most developed
state, whereas Bihar would be considered the least developed among them.
Comparison of Kerala, Haryana and Bihar (on the basis of other criteria):

State Infant Mortality Literacy Rate % Net Attendance Ratio

Rate per 1,000 2017–18 (per
live births (2018) 2017–18
Haryana 30 82 61
Kerala 7 94 83
Bihar 32 30 43

• Infant Mortality Rate (or IMR) indicates the number of children that
die before the age of one year
as a proportion of 1000 live children born in that particular year.
• Literacy Rate measures the proportion of the literate population in the 7-
and-above age group.
• Net Attendance Ratio is the total number of children of age group 14
and 15 years attending school as a percentage of total number of children
in the same age group.

The first column of the table indicates that in Kerala, only 7 out of every 1,000
children die before reaching one year of age, whereas in Haryana, this number
is 30—more than 4 times that in Kerala. However, despite this difference,
Haryana has a higher per capita income than Kerala.

The last column shows that in Bihar, nearly half of the children aged 14–15 do
not continue their education beyond Class 8. This implies that if you were
studying in Bihar, almost half of your classmates from elementary school would
no longer be attending school.

Public Facilities

Public facilities are those provided by the government instead of individuals or

private sources. For this reason, they may be either highly subsidized or totally
free of cost. They are important because many persons do not have enough
income to be able to avail of facilities provided by the private sector resulting in
difficulties faced like inadequate healthcare, poor nutrition, lack of education,
etc. The utility of two public facilities available in India are:

• The public distribution system (PDS) provides fair average quality food
grains and other essential items to the weaker section of the population at
subsidized prices.
 • Health care in government hospitals and dispensaries is provided to all at
a subsidized rate. This includes outpatient as well as hospitalization
facilities.

Limits of Money in Ensuring Well-being

• Money cannot buy us a pollution-free environment.

• Money cannot buy us a disease-free life and might not be able to get
protection from infectious diseases.
• Besides money, people also like to have equal treatment in society,
freedom, dignity, and honor in their lives, which money cannot buy them .

**Body Mass Index (BMI): Body mass index (BMI) is a person's weight
in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters.

Human Development Index (HDI):

The United Nations Development Programme measures the development

of countries using the Human Development Index (HDI). The HDI is a
combined measure that evaluates a country’s progress based on three key
aspects: life expectancy (longevity), education (knowledge), and standard
of living, which together reflect the overall quality of life.

HDI is calculated on the basis of:

• Per capita income: It is calculated by dividing the total national
income of a country by the total population.
 • Life expectancy: It is the average expected length of life of a
person at the time of birth in a country.
• Gross enrolment ratio for three levels: It means the enrolment ratio
for primary schools, secondary schools, and higher education
beyond the secondary level.

UNDP's method of measuring World Bank's method of measuring

development development
• UNDP compares on • World Bank compares on
the basis of literacy the basis of per capita
rate, gross enrolment income.
ratio, and health status
of people.
• It gives ranks to the • It divides the countries
countries according to according to
their level of - rich or high-income
development. countries
- middle-income or
developing countries
- poor or low-income
countries
• It is a wider concept as • It is a narrow concept.
it includes other things
besides income.

Sustainable Development:

Sustainable development refers to progress that meets present needs without

harming the environment or compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.

For example, groundwater, though a renewable resource, is being rapidly

depleted due to excessive and careless use, leading to water scarcity. Similarly,
rapid industrialization has resulted in large-scale deforestation, causing
environmental pollution that affects both present and future generations. In
addition, crude oil, a non-renewable resource with limited availability, is
gradually being exhausted, making it essential to use it carefully and
responsibly.
Let’s recall
1. Which of the following best describes development?
A. Increase in income only
B. Improvement in quality of life
C. Growth in population
D. Increase in exports

2. Different persons can have different developmental goals because:

A. People live in different countries
B. People have different incomes
C. People have different aspirations and needs
D. People have different occupations

3. Which of the following is NOT a component of the Human Development

Index (HDI)?
A. Life expectancy
B. Education level
C. Per capita income
D. Population size

4. Per capita income is calculated by:

A. Total income × total population
B. Total income ÷ total population
C. Total population ÷ total income
D. None of these

5. Why is average income considered a better measure than total income?

A. It shows population growth
B. It accounts for population differences
C. It shows export value
D. It shows inflation

6. Which organisation publishes the World Development Report?

A. IMF
B. WTO
C. World Bank
D. UNDP

7. Countries with higher per capita income are considered:

A. Underdeveloped
B. Developing
C. Developed
D. Backward

8. What does Infant Mortality Rate indicate?

A. Number of deaths per year
B. Number of children dying before age 5
C. Number of children dying before one year of age per 1000 births
D. Birth rate

9. Which of the following states has better health indicators despite lower per
capita income?
A. Haryana
B. Punjab
C. Kerala
D. Bihar

10. Literacy rate is a measure of:

A. Income
B. Education level
C. Health
D. Employment

11. Public facilities refer to:

A. Private goods
B. Goods owned by individuals
C. Goods and services provided by the government
D. Imported goods

12. Which of the following is a non-renewable resource?

A. Water
B. Forest
C. Crude oil
D. Solar energy

13. Sustainable development means:

A. Economic growth only
B. Using all resources quickly
C. Development without harming future generations
D. Industrial growth only

14. Which factor is not directly related to standard of living?

A. Income
B. Health
C. Education
D. Climate

15. What is the main drawback of using per capita income?

A. Difficult to calculate
B. Does not show income distribution
C. Not accepted globally
D. Based on population

16. Which country is considered developed based on HDI?

A. Country with high population
B. Country with high income and better health & education
C. Country with large area
D. Country with high exports

17. What happens when groundwater is overused?

A. It increases
B. It remains constant
C. It gets depleted
D. It becomes polluted only

18. Which of the following best shows conflicting goals of development?

A. More jobs and more income
B. Better education and health
C. Industrial growth and environmental degradation
D. Higher wages and better lifestyle

19. Which is a public facility?

A. Car
B. Mobile phone
C. Clean drinking water
D. Television

20. The main aim of development is:

A. Increase in GDP
B. Increase in population
C. Improve quality of life of people
D. Increase in exports

Write in brief:-
1. Define development in the context of economics.
2. Explain why development is not the same for everyone.
 3. What is per capita income? How is it calculated?
4. Why is per capita income considered a better measure than total income?
5. What are the limitations of using per capita income to measure
development?
6. What is the Human Development Index (HDI)?
7. Name the three components of the Human Development Index.
8. How does the UNDP classify countries based on HDI?
9. Explain why income alone cannot measure development.
10. Give an example of a situation where one person’s development may
harm another.
11. What is sustainable development?
12. Why is groundwater depletion a concern in development?
13. How does industrialization affect the environment?
14. Why should crude oil and other non-renewable resources be used
carefully.
15. Explain the role of education in the development of a country.
16. How does health contribute to human development?
17. Compare Kerala and Haryana in terms of health indicators and per capita
income.
18. What is meant by public facilities? Give two examples.
19. Why is development linked to democracy according to the NCERT text?
20. Explain how historical factors influence development.

Explain in detail:-
1. Define development. Explain why it is more than just an increase in
income.
2. Discuss why development is not the same for all people. Give examples.
3. Explain the concept of per capita income. How does it help in comparing
countries?
4. What are the limitations of per capita income as a measure of
development?
5. Describe the Human Development Index (HDI) and its components.
6. How does the HDI provide a better measure of development than per
capita income alone?
7. Explain how income, education, and health are interlinked in the process
of development.
8. Compare the development of Kerala and Haryana using indicators like
per capita income, literacy, and health.
9. Discuss why India is considered a low middle-income country despite
economic growth in some sectors.
10. Explain the concept of sustainable development and why it is important
for the future.
11. Discuss the environmental consequences of rapid industrialization and
development.
12. Explain why non-renewable resources like crude oil need to be used
carefully.
13. How does overuse of renewable resources like groundwater affect
development?
14. Describe the role of education in improving the quality of life and human
development.
15. Explain the role of health in human development and economic progress.
16. Discuss the relationship between democracy and development. Why is a
democratic process important?
17. Give examples of development projects that benefit some people but may
harm others.
18. Explain the importance of public facilities in the development of a
country. Give examples.
19. Discuss how historical factors influence present-day development in a
country.
20. Explain the differences between economic growth and human
development, giving suitable examples.