CONCEPTS OF DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER
INTRODUCTION
In the last 200 years the
benefits and influences of industrialization have spread, in varying degrees, to all parts
of the Earth. In many countries this process has produced intra-regional
contrasts that tend to intensify the contrasts between urban and rural
populations. This development is, unfortunately, often more symbolic than real
for many countries and actually helps these societies very little.
Industrialization is not the solution for many countries seeking to improve
conditions for their citizens. Success is measured in many ways but should be
judged based upon criteria and achievement applicable to the society involved.
In the late I990s poorer less industrialized countries must balance goals and
ambitions with the needs of their populations.
Patterns of
Development
The global
economic picture is characterized by enormous gaps between rich and poor
countries, but the geography of economic well-being also reveals regional
disparities within countries at all levels of development. There are even
areas within the industrialized countries themselves where change is slow in
coming. Parts of the rural South in the
In poorer less industrialized countries, there are places where clusters
of industries have emerged and rapid urban growth is taking place, producing
local conditions that differ sharply from those prevailing in surrounding
areas. Recent economic growth on the Pacific Rim of East Asia has created huge
regional disparities in economic conditions between some coastal provinces of
Concepts and
Approaches
Economists and geographers use a variety
of approaches to describe the wide disparities in the global economy. Countries
with high levels of urbanization and industrialization and high standards of
living have long been referred to as developed
countries
(DCs),
in contrast to underdeveloped countries (UDCs).
This approach divides the world into two major categories, but also assumes that
all countries are at some stage of development. But, the concept of development
is a complicated one. How, for example, should development be measured? The
GNP index provides one approach, but it has many shortcomings. There are a
number of things it does not measure, such as the informal economy and contrasts
within countries. Other approaches provide a richer basis for thinking about
development, but none of these approaches produces a clear dividing line between
developed and underdeveloped countries. Since some countries that were classed
as underdeveloped began to change, the term developing country came into use in the 1960s and 1970s, but
problems still existed, not the least of which was no country wanted to be
classed as “under-developed,” and with good reason. The definition came from
developed countries. Thus the developed-underdeveloped distinction was largely
replaced by a developed-developing distinction. What all this showed is that
while economic disparities are usually
thought to be due to different levels of development, in reality development is much more complex and cannot be reduced to simple categories.
The Core-Periphery Model
Because of many criticisms and shortcomings in the “traditional” divisions
of developed, developing, and underdeveloped system, a new approach to
describing global economic disparities has been proposed. The new one is more
sensitive to geographical differences and the relationships among development
processes occurring in different places. The proposed core-periphery model, which is also
used in discussions of political power, views the world as characterized by a core,
semi-periphery, and periphery. Since
the model focuses attention on the economic relationships among places, it is a
key component of many theories that treat the global economy as a large system,
and is actually quite different than the developed-developing-underdeveloped
approach. The most important difference is the explicit identification of the
power relationships among places, and it does not assume that socioeconomic
change will occur in the same way in all places. This is important, because
underlying economic disparities is a core-periphery relationship among different
regions of the world. This affects how economies develop in both the core and
the periphery.
A Changing World
As the twenty-first century approaches, some states are still
subsistence-based and poor (traditional), whereas
others are in the takeoff stage. These
terms are part of a theory proposed by economist Walt Rostow in the l96Os,
referred to as the modernization model. Rostow’s
model suggests that all countries follow a similar path through five stages of
development. The model provides a useful view of how certain parts of the
world have changed over time, but it has been criticized because it does not
take into account the different constraints that regions face because it
suggests a single development path that is not influenced by cultural
differences, In the world of the late 1990s, rapid development is taking place
under widely different political systems. It is often associated with
democratization, but it is also occurring under authoritarian regimes. We
should remember that there are many routes to development.
CHAPTER OUIZ
MULTIPLE-CHOICE
QUESTIONS
1.
The world’s fourth most populous country is:
a.
b.
c.
d.
the
2.
The core-periphery model focuses attention on the
? relationships among
places.
a.
social
b.
economic
c.
military
d.
political
3.
The World Bank groups states into four categories based on income. Which
of the following is NOT one of the regions where low-income countries are
concentrated.
a.
b.
South
c.
d.
4.
According to World Bank statistics, there are
how many middle-income countries.
a.
45
b.
55
c.
65
d.
75
5.
a.
eighteenth
b.
sixteenth
c.
seventeenth
d.
nineteenth
6.
Which of the following statements is correct concerning the world
economic system.
a.
it works to the advantage of the periphery countries
b.
it works to the disadvantage of periphery countries
c.
it works to the advantage of both the core and periphery countries
d.
it works to the disadvantage of the core countries
7.
Geographically peripheral countries tend to be marked by:
a.
good regional developmental balance
b.
good site locations
c.
severe regional disparities
d.
good situation locations
8. In
the modernization model of economic
development as formulated by Walt Rostow, when a country reaches the drive to maturity stage, a
majority of workers enter what sector of the economy.
a.
extractive
b.
service
c.
industrial
d.
managerial
9.
In the world of the late 1990s, communism remained in control in three
countries. Which of the following is NOT one of them
a.
b. China
c.
d.
North Korea
10.
In the late 1990s, which of
the following was NOT a low-income
a.
b.
c.
d.
TRUE/FALSE
QUESTIONS
1. In all the
rich developed nations pockets of extreme poverty still exist. (TF)
2. Because of
development On the Pacific Rim, all the Chinese people are now wealthier. (TF)
3.
Gross national product figures for countries are not completely accurate
because they leave out some sources of income. (TF)
4.
The core-periphery model focuses on the economic relationships among
places. (TF)
5.
Middle-income states outnumber the poorer states. (TF)
6.
The periphery countries cannot legitimately accuse developed countries of
neocolonialism. (TF)
7.
Tourism has been very beneficial to periphery countries by helping the
poor. (TF)
8.
The modernization model proposes that countries in the drive to maturity
stage have sustained
growth taking hold. (TF)
9.
When many developing countries tried to adopt the communist state control
method of economics the results were most often disastrous. (TF)
10.
Politics and economics go hand-in-hand. (TF)
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. List and
explain the different models of development. Give some of the strong and weak
points of each, if given. Do you think any one covers all the problems in
deciding the development stage of a country? List some of the factors that help
or hinder a country in its economic development.
2. Why do you
think there are such regional economic differences within a country?
3. Why are the
seven measures of development in the Focus on box hard to apply in some
countries?
4. Describe the
core-periphery model. How is it different from other models?
5. Study Figure 26-1. List the
conditions that put countries in the periphery. How do their industries differ
in kind and dimension from core countries?
6.
How does tourism affect the poorer countries? What contrasts are found?