Factors Indicating Countrys Development - Essay Example

THE FACTORS WHICH INDICATE WHETHER A COUNTRY IS DEVELOPED Introduction Technical advances have played a major role in the development of nearly all the societies of the world. From the Stone Age to the age of computers and electronics, there is a long journey which humanity has covered over thousands of years. Human beings in general have tried to keep pace with the advancing world, but there have been considerable lapses in this process, and today when we analyze the status of development of various countries, the difference is easily appreciable. Adding to the complexity of the matter is the fact that there are different specialized areas of development which have undergone extensive development while others have been forgotten during the course of development. A balance should therefore be maintained during the process of development in order to make the process of development smooth and sustainable. Different areas of development should assist each other so that growth of individual areas is easy. A number of factors affect the developmental process of a country. The geographical location, land resources, climate, social conditions, political conditions, religion, neighboring countries and historical aspects all take part in the developmental process of a country. It is for this reason, that a large number of indicators are used to analyze the progress of a country. These indicators give an idea about the overall growth of a sector in a growing country, and a complex interaction of these indicators point towards the overall development of that country. Discussion The concept of development is multi-dimensional and involves changes in structure and capacity as well as output (Baster, 1972). Whether qualitative or quantitative, indicators serve as useful tools in analyzing the developmental process. Indicators are chosen with extreme care and they should possess some special characteristics in order to be useful practically. Indicators should be ‘specific’ so that they can easily be related to outcomes which are being sought. Indicators should be ‘measureable’, so that they can be easily quantified, although qualitative indicators are also required in some cases. Indicators should be usable and ‘sensitive’. Sensitivity should directly relate to changing circumstances, and this effect should be immediate. Indicators should be readily ‘available’ and the data needed for such indicator should be easily available. Lastly, the method of obtaining the required data for an indicator should be ‘cost effective’ (Morse, 2004). Keeping in view the above characteristics, a large number of indicators have been chosen to analyze the developmental process of a country. Among the most well known indicators which reveal the economic performance of a country, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Product (GNP) are on top. The level of employment is another indicator of development. The productivity of labor and the cost of unit labor serve a useful purpose when production is analyzed. Access and availability to communication and information resources like internet or telephone indicate the developmental trends of a country. The contributions of tourism to GDP and account deficit as GDP percentage are all economic indicators which help to assess development of a country. The presence and extent of foreign debt badly affects the growth of a country. Such countries have to spend a major amount of their annual income in paying foreign debts and as a result are left with limited resources for development. Apart from all this is the indicator of agricultural growth. It not only provides food, but also maintains landscapes and habitats for wildlife, while at the same time it acts as a sink for greenhouse gases and contributes to rural employment. The persistent growth in demand for food is a challenge not only on country level, but also on international level (OECD, 2001). Water resources of a country are also a powerful indicator of development. Being essential for economic and social development, water also plays role in the development of health, food, industry and energy sectors of a country. The effects of water are also seen on the political and administrative systems of a country (UNESCO, 2003). Clearly, water is a very powerful driving force behind the development of a country, and it serves as a useful indicator of the developmental process. A number of indicators of poverty are used to assess the level of poverty in a country. The proportion of population living below the poverty line of the nation serves a useful purpose in assessing poverty. Proportion of population which has access to an improved sanitation facility is also an indicator or poverty. Proportion of population using improved water source for drinking, having access to energy sources like electricity and natural gas and the availability of improved living conditions are all indicators of poverty. As far as health is concerned, a number of indicators point towards the development of a country in this sector. These may include life expectancy at birth, percentage of population which has easy access to primary health care facilities, success of immunization programs against preventable and communicable disease, mortality rate of children under five years of age, nutritional condition of children, prevalence and morbidity of and due to diseases like tuberculosis, hepatitis and AIDS etc. Education is the driving force behind the development of any country. It not only affects the growth of a country in economic terms, but it effects can also be seen socially. The rate of enrollment in primary school programs, level of success at secondary level of education, the rate of literacy in general population, percentage of population enrolled in higher professional learning and the percentage of population involved in research activities are all indicators of the development of education sector of a country. Natural disasters affect the development of a country in a negative manner. It is therefore important that any developing nation remains ready and prepared for any natural disaster that can occur. The percentage of population living in areas which are prone to natural disasters gives an idea of the preparedness of that country. The denser such population is, the greater are the chances of grave losses. Moreover, the tendency of the country towards protection of the environment serves a useful indicator of development. The levels of carbon dioxide emissions, the level of ozone depletion and the level of pollution in air are all indicative of the developmental process of a country. This indicator can also be used to relate environmental pressure to energy production and its usage (IAEA & UN, 2005). Conclusion Developmental process of a country is a multi-factorial phenomenon, and to assess the level of development a lot of indicators need to be analyzed. Indicators should be chosen with extreme care so as to get a fair idea of the real level of development of a given country. A number of parameters which point towards a favorable developmental process of a country may include higher literacy levels, higher GDP and GNP, lower mortality rates in children, healthy and well nourished children, lower infant and maternal mortality, lower payable foreign debts, enormous water and mineral resources and corruption free political and administrative systems. This list of parameters is never-ending. But it should be kept in mind, that real development cannot always be calculated in terms of figures. There are some qualitative parameters which need to be addressed in addition to the quantitative indicators. Moreover, the idea of comparing figures from countries of underdeveloped nations with those of developed nations cannot serve a useful purpose, since every country of the world has its own conditions and preferences, and a fair judgment of the development of a country can only be done, if data from that country is correlated with its prevailing conditions. References MORSE, S. (2004). Indices and indicators in development: an unhealthy obsession with numbers? London ; Sterling, VA, Earthscan, p30. IAEA., & UN. DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS. (2005). Energy indicators for sustainable development: guidelines and methodologies. Vienna, IAEA, p95. ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT. (2001). Environmental indicators for agriculture. Vol.3, Methods and results. Paris, OECD, p33-45. BASTER, N. (1972). Measuring developing: the role and adequacy of development indicators. London, Cass, p1. UNESCO (2003). Water for people, water for life: a joint report by the twenty three UN agencies concerned with freshwater. New York, UNESCO, p294. Read More