Development (Easy and Simple Economics Notes for class 10th)

Introduction:

“Every person wants something or the other for leading a good life.” What does it suggest? Does it say that the needs of every person are different but the ultimate goal is to attain a happy and healthy life. Of course yes. Since the circumstances around an individual differ, a person aspires for different goals. And when these goals are accomplished, development occurs. The same we are going to read about in this chapter.

Meaning of Development:

Any positive change in the individual’s life is development. It has different dimensions; economic, social and environmental.

What Development Promises- Different People, Different Goals

As we discussed above, people have different notions of development depending on their situation. For instance, the developmental goal of landless rural laborers will be more days of work and better wages (on priority basis). However, prosperous farmers from Punjab will aspire for a high family income. Sometimes, these goals can be conflicting. For example: For industrialists, building dams can help in generating more electricity. Thus, construction of dams is development for them. In contrast, this notion of development is detrimental for the people who will get displaced and environmentalists who think it can cause harm to nature.

1. Different persons can have different developmental goals.
2. What may be development for one, may not be development for the other. It may even be destructive for the other.

Income and Other Goals:

Different situations can result in different needs for development. However, one thing that you may have found common in the above given examples is ‘income’. Although it is just one of the major components. There are several other components too which people seek for.

For example: Non materialistic goals like equal treatment, freedom, security, and respect of others help in improving the quality of our life.

Thus, we can conclude that people look at a mix of goals for development.

National Development:

National development means the ability of nation to improve its standard of living.

If individuals seek different goals, their notion of national development is also likely to be different and sometimes conflicting.

How To Compare Different Countries Or State?

We call some countries developed and others developing. It is due to some important characteristics which help in comparing all the countries in the world.

• For comparing countries, their income is considered to be one of the most important attributes. Hence, countries with higher income are developed and others are still developing.
• However, the total income cannot measure how much an average person in the country is likely to earn. For Example: It is obvious that the total income of a country with a large population will be more than a small and less populated country.
• Hence, we compare the average income which is the total income of the country divided by its total population. The average income is also called per capita income.

Income and Other Criteria:

Income as we discussed above, is one of the major components. But along with income, an individual seeks for other goals as well. Even for the country’s development, people seek for goals such as security, respect for others, equal treatment, freedom etc.

• Bihar: State with highest infant mortality and lowest net Attendance Ratio and Literacy Rate.
• Kerala: State with lowest infant mortality and highest net Attendance Ratio and Literacy Rate.

Public Facilities:

Access to the Basic health and educational facilities are key indicators which tell about the pace of country’s development. Thus, some countries or states are less developed than others. For instance, Kerala has a low Infant Mortality Rate because it has adequate provision of basic health and educational facilities.

• In order to measure development there are three major components of Human Development Index.
  • Education
  • Life expectancy
  • Per Capita Income.

Sustainability Of Development:

Human being always try to level up his developmental goal. For this, he seek for new ways. However, development of a country can be sustained only through careful use of resources.

• Sustainable Development: Using resources in such a way that fulfill the present generation needs without exploiting all the resources and affecting the development process of future generations.