Year 11 - Geography
Measuring development
Global variations in economic development
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit teaches pupils about global economic development. Pupils learn how, using a variety of measures, economic development is unequal and how this is reflected in demographic characteristics. Pupils learn about the causes and consequences of inequality and consider how they can be reduced.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain the different ways in which social and economic development is measured, and the limitations of individual economic and social measures used.
Key Notes
- There are global variations in economic development and quality of life.
- There are a range of different measures of level of development.
- There are limitations of both economic and social measures.
Vocabulary To Learn
- development: the progress of a country in terms of wealth, use of technology and human welfare
- gross national income (GNI): a measure of goods and services produced by a country, including income earned abroad; may be divided by the total population to give 'GNI per head'
- life expectancy: average number of years an individual can expect to live at birth; worldwide this doubled from 1900 to 2021
- Human Development Index (HDI): a UN measure of development calculated using education, life expectancy and income data
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- That everyone in a country with a high GNI is well off, with a good quality of life.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.
There are global variations in economic development and quality of life. There are a range of different measures of level of development.
2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'development'
the progress of a country in terms of wealth, use of technology and human welfare.
3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.
Mistake: That everyone in a country with a high GNI is well off, with a good quality of life. Correction: A country's income is not equally divided by everyone who lives there. This is why GNI per head should be used along side other measures in order to understand differences in quality of life.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Causes of global inequalities Study Guide
- Consequences of global inequalities Study Guide
- Defining development Study Guide
- Development and demography Study Guide
- Example of how tourism can reduce the development gap Study Guide
- Strategies to reduce the development gap: Fairtrade, debt relief and aid Study Guide
- Strategies to reduce the development gap: industry and investment Study Guide
- Using GIS maps to analyse links between inequality and migration Study Guide
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