Academic Year 2022-23

Grade: MYP 4

Unit 5: Growth and development indicators

Key concept: Time, place and space

Related concept: Equity ; Resources

Global context: Fairness and development

Students will Explore: Inequality, differences, and inclusion.

Topic: Development in different countries in relation to the indicators of development

CONNECTION OF SOI WITH TOPIC

Through the SOI and topic, students will apply the gained knowledge and understanding of
how various indicators like social, economic, environmental and political indicators are
important for the economy in order to live a healthy and smooth lifestyle in different
countries. The ultimate goal of these case studies is to learn about the different levels of
development and how the various indicators of growth and development that could help us
to identify the same.

BACKGROUND:

To understand the goals of economic development, it is useful to examine the

characteristics of more economically developed countries and compare them to those of less
economically developed countries.

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 Handout: Case Studies of development in different countries

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CONCLUSION

The United Nations monitors the economic development of countries around the world. It
has many projects in place to help LEDCs to develop and become MEDCs. One of the
United Nations’ greatest concerns for the future economic development of all countries is
the effect of climate change. It is thought that climate change will not only make economic
development harder for developing nations, but that it may also reverse, or undo, the
achievements of MEDCs.

No single factor can account for the large disparities in economic development among the
countries of the world. Nor is the relative influence of any particular factor likely to remain
the same over time. Although various geographic factors have played a major role in the
economic opportunities available to various peoples, economic development also affects the
influence of geography. The development of modern transport and communication system
has reduced the role of geographic factors, which had made economic development possible
in the first place.

FURTHER EXPLORATION

1. Explain conclusions can you draw about the correlation between GDP, HDI, income
equality, and social and economic indicators between developed and developing
countries?
2. State if there is a high HDI correlation with relative income equality? What about low
HDI?
3. Discuss, is a high GDP indicative of high levels of human development?
4. Describe what other conclusions can you draw about economic development,
national income, and equality?

5. To what extent does your country with low HD exhibit the following characteristics?

• Low standards of living?

• Low incomes?
• Inequality?
• Poor health?
• Inadequate education?
• Low levels of productivity?
• High rates of population growth and dependency burdens?
• High levels of unemployment?
• Dependence on agricultural production and primary product exports?
• Imperfect markets?
• Dependency on foreign developed countries for trade, access to technology, foreign
investment, and aid?

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References

Milner, Steve, and Olly Phillipson. Longman Geography for IGCSE. Pearson Longman, 2006.

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