DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

COLLEGE OF AFRICAN WILDLIFE

MANAGEMENT, MWEKA

BACHELOR DEGREE IN WILDLIFE TOURISM

&

BACHELOR DEGREE IN WILDLIFE

MANAGEMENT
1. INTRODUCTION

 The concept and scope of development

 Definition of development and

underdevelopment
1.1 The concept and scope of development
 Development has captured the attention of
economists and politicians alike.

 Indeed it can be argued that the process of

development is the very essence of life.

 Development for the majority in the third

world remains problematic with many of
these countries making little or no
progress towards improving the quality of
life of the majority population.
 This is particularly so in the case of Africa.
 The African continent remains an
underdeveloped economy with its society
still in transition.
 Democracy in Africa is still very much on
the agenda.
 Economically Africa has not faired better
and in many respects there has been
retrogression.
 In spite of decades of the Structural
Adjustment Programme (SAP), the African
economic condition has remained critical.
 Per capita income has continued to fall, the
export sector is depressed and the burden
of debt remains most excruciating.
 Population growth is still very high and
given the technological backwardness of
the food and agricultural sector
 Africa is becoming increasingly dependent
on food aid and imports for the survival of
its people.
 In a nutshell it can be argued that Africa is
locked in a vicious circle of dependency
and underdevelopment.
 A theoretical understanding of the process
of development is thus vital to acquire an
in-depth understanding of Africa’s
development problems and challenges
 How these countries are to progress and
overcome the persistent state of
underdevelopment reflected by increasing
mass poverty, sluggish agricultural growth
and severe environmental degradation.
We need to develop a clear understanding
of the development process in order
formulate concrete policies and strategies
that will address this situation and propel
these countries towards sustainable
development.
 Our task in these sessions is therefore to
examine and highlight how various
scholars from different schools of thought
have tried to explain the process of social
development.
The concept of development is used in
different disciplines:

 Biology and other natural sciences, as well

as philosophy and social sciences.

 We are concerned with human

development.

 Also, the concept of human development

has different applications.
 One is the physical growth of a child from
birth to maturity.
 But this is not our concern.
 Our concern is human development as
related to standard of living and quality of
life.
 The concept of development is often used
in relation to a certain aim.
 Generally, the development is supposed or
explicitly said to go in a positive direction.
 The concept of change, on the other hand,
is often devoid of value judgements.
1.2 How the Concept of Development
Got Started:

 "Economic development" or "development"

is a term that economists, politicians, and
others have used frequently in the 20th
century.

 Modernization, Westernization, and

especially Industrialization are other terms
people have used when discussing
economic development.
 Although no one is sure when the concept
originated, most people agree that
development is closely bound up with the
evolution of capitalism and the demise of
feudalism.
 Development has many meanings.
 The meaning a particular person attaches
to the term depends on his/her subjective
view of the world.
 Indeed, the meaning of development is not
only a product of the individual's
perspective but also of the particular
period in time when the word is being
uttered.
1.3 Meaning of Development and
Underdevelopment
 Development conceived of as economic
growth.
 Is a quantitative concept and basically
means more of the same.
 Yet, even if we limit ourselves to the
economic sphere, it is clear that economic
development is more than economic
growth alone.
Economic development refers to growth
accompanied by qualitative changes in the
structure of production and employment,
generally referred to as structural change.
 Of particular importance for developing
economies are increases in the share of the
dynamic industrial sector in national
output and employment and a decrease of
the share of agriculture.
Development also mean:

 The extent to which the resources have

been brought into full productive use.

 It may also carry in common usage the

implications of economic growth,
modernization, and improvement in levels
of material production and consumption
Development sometimes may mean that the
list of attributes which a society seeks to
achieve or maximize
 These attributes include:
 Increase in real income per capita
 Educational achievements
 Access to resources
 A faire income distribution
 Increase in basic freedom
Underdevelopment:
 From a strictly economic point of view,
suggests the possibility of or desirability of
applying additional capital, labor, or
technology to the resource base of an area
to permit the present population to
improve its material well-being.
Underdevelopment in different perspectives:

ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE

 Lack of income especially when measured

by spending

 Living under poverty line of below 1USD

SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE
 Lack of social services like education, clean
water, transport services, reliable health
services etc.
POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
 Inability to attain the specified decision on
the state concerned
 Weak leadership
ENVIRONMENTALLY
 Ability to effective and sustainable
utilization of the surrounding natural
resources
 Ability to conserve, manage, modify the
natural environment in friendly approaches
In Concluding
 The Scope of having proper and
sustainable economic development of any
country is the proper use of resources and
opportunities that are around in that
particular society.

 Resources: Human, Physical/Environmental

and different sources for obtaining
monetary resources for society’s economic
development
Roundtable Questions

Qn1:
 From different perspectives discuss the
concept and the scope of development in
third world countries

Qn2:
 “Development” and “Underdevelopment”
are two contradicting phenomena. Discuss
 THE END
PREPARED
BY
Komba, C.K. (PhD)

cyrilkomba@yahoo.com
cyrilkomba@gmail.com
cyrill.komba@mocu.ac.tz
+255 784 46 26 53
+255 715 46 26 53