Short Answer Questions: Development (Understanding Economic Development)
Q1: What are the various social indicators of development?
Ans: Although the level of income is an important indicator of development, it is an
inadequate measure of the level of development. Other social indicators are:
* Health and Education: People become human resources when investments are made in
their health and education.
* Sex ratio: It is defined as the number of females per thousand males. An ideal sex ratio
should be more or less an equal number of males and females. The sex ratio in favor of
males indicates sex discrimination, which goes against development.
Q2/Q11: What is Sustainable Development? Why is the issue of sustainability important for
development? Explain.
Ans: Sustainable Development refers to development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
* Definition & Importance:
* It refers to using natural resources in a manner so that they can be used by the present
and future generations.
* The issue of sustainability is important for development because if natural resources are
not used carefully, they may not be available for future generations.
* The depletion of a country's resources may ultimately result in a lack of development.
* Key Principles:
* Economic development is a continuous process. Resources are to be used in such a
way that they are not exploited. At the same time, development should not harm the
environment.
* It is desirable because everyone would certainly like the present level of development to
go further or at least be maintained for the future generations.
* Visual Representation of Sustainable Development:
Q3: How are economic development and human development related to each other?
Ans:
* Human development: It refers to the process of improvement in human beings. People
become human resources when investments in them are made in the form of health and
education.
* Life expectancy at birth, adult literacy rate, and per capita GDP are important indicators
of human development.
* Economic development: It will be sustainable if resources are managed in such a way
that future generations do not suffer and have at least the same that present generations
have.
Q4: Prove that development for some may be harmful to others. OR With the help of
examples, two groups may have different notions of development. OR 'What may be
development for one may not be development for the other'. Explain by giving examples.
Ans: It is true that development for one may not be development for the other. The following
examples can prove this truth:
* Construction of Dams: The construction of dams may be beneficial for industrialists and
large farmers, but this may submerge the agricultural land and disrupt the lives of the
people.
* Wages vs. Profits: More wages mean development for a worker, but it can go against the
employer.
* Consumer vs. Trader: A consumer wants to purchase different household articles at low
prices, but a trader or seller wants to sell these items at a higher price.
Q5: Write the importance of human development index in three points.
Ans: Human Development Index is published by the UNDP.
* It indicates the level of development of a country.
* The report provides information about the different welfare elements such as education
levels, health status, and literacy level of a country.
* It also provides information about the per capita income of a country.
Q6: What is the main concern with regard to sustainable development?
Ans: Save resources from depletion:
* The main concern of sustainable development is to save resources from depletion.
* Development should take place but not at the cost of the environment.
* Resources should be reserved for future generations.
Q7: Mention in brief the factors which are important goals in our life.
Ans:
* Desire for more income: People desire regular work, a good salary structure, and decent
prices for crops or other products that they produce. We can say that there is a desire for
more income.
* Equal treatment: People also want equal treatment in society. People want freedom,
security, and respect for others. They don't expect discrimination.
Q8: Why do we use averages? Are there any limitations to their use? Illustrate with your own
examples related to development.
Ans:
* Why use averages? Different countries have different populations, so calculating the
average helps in getting an estimated answer, which can be used to compare different
things at different levels.
* Limitations: There are limitations in calculating averages because we cannot know the
difference in the income of the people and the unfair distribution of income in a country or
state.
* Example (Income Disparity): The example provided illustrates that while Country B may
have a higher average income (Rs. 45,700) than Country A (Rs. 24,300), the income
distribution in Country B shows greater disparity.
Q9: Kerala, with lower per capita income, has a better human development ranking than
Haryana. Hence, per capita income is not a useful criterion at all and should not be used to
compare states. Do you agree? Discuss.
Ans:
* Kerala, with lower per capita income, has a better human development ranking than
Haryana.
* Hence, per capita income is not a useful criterion at all and should not be used to
compare states. (Agreement)
* This is true because the literacy rate, infant mortality rate, healthcare facilities, etc., are
better in Kerala than in Haryana.
* The per capita income is only calculated by calculating the average income of the state,
irrespective of any other factor.
Q10: Find out the present sources of energy that are used by the people in India. What
could be the other possibilities fifty years from now?
Ans:
* The present sources of energy used by people in India include firewood, coal, petroleum,
crude oil, and natural gas.
* The other possibilities fifty years from now can be using solar energy and wind energy as
a source for various energy forms.
* This is because the current usage of sources of energy may result in the loss of these
resources for future generations.
* Renewable Energy Sources:
Q12: "The Earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough to satisfy
the greed of even one person". How is this statement relevant to the discussion of
development? Discuss.
Ans:
* Development not just depends on the economic factors of a country but is also
dependent on resources that are available for the people of a country to use.
* The statement: "The Earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough
to satisfy the greed of even one person," is completely relevant in terms of the development
of a country because natural resources are non-renewable resources.
* It is the responsibility of the people to use them only to meet their needs and not to
satisfy their greed.
* If natural resources are not used wisely now, future generations may not be able to use
them for their needs, which will result in the downfall of the development of a country.
Q13: Explain common, different and conflicting developmental goals by giving appropriate
examples.
Ans: Developmental goals may be common, different, or conflicting.
* (i) Common goals: People's common goals are regular work, better wages, equal
treatment, freedom, security, friendship, respect for others, etc. These are the things that
are inspired by everyone.
* (ii) Different goals: Development does not mean the same thing for every individual. It
varies from person to person. For example, the developmental goals of landless rural
farmers may be more days of work and better wages, a local school for their children, etc.,
while unemployed youth may aspire for better employment opportunities, etc.
* (iii) Conflicting goals: Different people could have different as well as conflicting notions
of a country's development. (See also Q4 for examples of conflicting goals like dams or
wages).
Q14: Why are the countries of the Middle East not called developed countries in spite of
higher per capita income?
Ans:
The countries in the Middle East are small, and there is a wide gap between the rich and the
poor. Since these are oil-producing countries, they have higher per capita income.
However, the wealth available in these countries is not equally distributed among people.
As a result, some are very rich while others are very poor. (This uneven distribution means
they may score low on Human Development Index factors like social equity, despite high
income).
Q15: Define: 1. Infant Mortality Rate 2. Literacy Rate 3. Net Attendance Ratio 4. BMI
Ans:
* Infant mortality rate (IMR): It indicates the number of children that die before the age of 1
year as a proportion of 1000 live children born in that particular year.
* Literacy rate: It measures the proportion of literate population in the 7 and above age
group.
* Net Attendance ratio (NAR): It is the total number of children of age group 6 to 10
attending school as a percentage of total number of children in the same age group.
* BMI (Body Mass Index): BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is calculated by dividing the
weight of a person in kilograms (kgs) by the square of his/her height in metres. It is an
indicator of the level of nourishment in adults.
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