A country’s development is often based on their wealth and can be commonly seen measured by a number like GDP (Gross Domestic Product), HDI – human development index, a UN standardised measure of 3 factors: life expectancy, education and the standard of living, or as a list of countries ranked from richest to poorest (Global North/ South). However this can be misleading as it doesn’t take into account if a nation’s wealth is used well, whether it is invested in providing healthcare, jobs or education, or the impact of its production on the environment.
The term ‘development’ describes good change and is usually associated with growth and prosperity. However, what exactly does this mean? Development is complex and it is difficult to pin down as there are many different theories and models. These theories are called meta-theories and they describe the assumptions that researchers make about people and their development.
One of the most important reasons for a nation to develop is to reduce poverty. This is because poverty is a major cause of crime, conflict and violence as it creates anger and frustration. It also blocks a country’s ability to achieve most of the other goals of development – such as economic growth, healthy lifestyles and a clean environment. As a country becomes more developed it also increases its global influence as it has more financial resources to invest in foreign relations and is less dependent on foreign aid. A developing country is also less likely to be involved in wars as its armed forces are more sophisticated.