What this lesson teaches
I can compare development between world regions, between countries and within one country.
Syllabus 9173, Topic 1.2, 1. Development. How do levels of development vary across space?
Make a guess
A country has a high national HDI. Does that mean every neighbourhood in it is doing well?
- No. A national average can hide poor places.
- No, because the HDI measures income alone.
- Yes, because the HDI covers health, education and income.
- Yes, because a high average means no one is poor.
Show the answer
No. A national average can hide poor places.
The HDI combines health, education and income into one national figure. Cities and villages, or core and outlying regions, can differ a lot inside it.
Development varies at every scale, and a national or regional average can hide big differences inside it.
Development has several meanings. It can mean structural change in an economy or society. It can mean an action meant to improve lives, even if it fails. It can mean an improvement actually achieved, or conditions that make future improvement possible. A training scheme is an action; better jobs are an outcome to check. When comparing, say which dimension you use: income, health, education, safety or services.
At the scale of macro-regions, broad patterns appear, like differences in average income between world regions. But each region contains very different countries. A regional label must not suggest every country or person has the same conditions.
Countries within a region differ too. Singapore and Cambodia are both in the East Asia and Pacific macro-region, but their economies and development levels are very different. Within one country, cities and villages, core and outlying regions also differ in jobs and services.
The Human Development Index (HDI) combines health, education and income. It is broader than income alone, but still a national average. It hides inequality and environmental pressures. Use an average as a starting point, then look at how things are spread and at what scale the question asks about.
- Development
- Change, action, achieved improvement or future conditions.
- Three scales
- Macro-regions, countries and places within a country.
- HDI
- Combines health, education and income; a national average.
Step by step
Set the scale
Macro-regions, countries or places within one country?
Choose indicators
Same definitions and years for each place.
Look inside the average
Check differences between groups and places.
Worked example: A hidden gap
In a made-up country, average income rises, while an old factory town loses jobs and services. Both are true. They describe different scales.
Watch out for this
A high national HDI means every neighbourhood is doing well.
A national average can hide poor conditions in some groups and places.
Check your understanding
A regional average rises while one country in the region falls behind. What follows?
- One of the two figures must be wrong, as they disagree.
- Every resident of the region must be better off.
- The average hides uneven change, so country data is needed.
Show the answer
The average hides uneven change, so country data is needed.
Yes. Look inside the average.