Development may denote different things to different people, and development may vary in the context which it is being used.

Authors Avatar

Development may denote different things to different people, and development may vary in the context which it is being used.  Therefore, there is the need to agree on the definition of development and the criteria which can be used to evaluate whether a country is developing or not.  This essay will look at the various meanings of development and also touch on one of the three main senses which are used to assess development.  The various criteria which are being used to measure development will be explained and examined, with reasons for and against on how adequate the criteria are to measure the extent to which development has occurred.

Development in a simple term means growth plus change.  Development may be regarded as a goal towards which countries strive, and also a process which involves casual relationships.

During the 19the century, development was seen as the experience of countries which were already industrialised for example Britain, United States, Japan, and France.  Economists stressed the importance of savings and accumulation of capital for economic growth.

Development according to Smillie (1995) ‘is a  product of many things: good education, effective health and welfare services, good and open government, environmental sustainability, high rates of savings and investment, a dynamic private sector, a vibrant civil society and a healthy trading regime are all required’.

Seer (1969) described development as ‘eliminating poverty, unemployment, and inequality’ while Chambers defined it as ‘good change’ (1997).  The latter consists of two different meanings.  

Thomas pointed out that ‘good’ implies a vision of a desirable society; something to aim at and a state of being with certain positive attributes which can be measured and brings about the term ‘more’ or ‘less’ developed.  On the other hand ‘change’ is a process which entails disruption and which may or may not be possible to direct.

Development as defined by Todaro et al (2003, p.22) is both a physical reality and a state of mind in which society has, through some combination of social, economic, and institutional processes, secured the means for obtaining a better life.  Development as Sen pointed out, cited in Allen et al (2000, p.34) is not just “combating or ameliorating poverty, but restoring or enhancing basic human capabilities and freedoms”.  This is seen as participation and empowerment.  Empowerment is a process by which individuals, typically including the ‘poorest of the poor’ are to take direct control over their lives.

The term development can be used in three main senses.  The senses are: as a vision, description or measure of the state of being of a desirable society; as an historical process of social change in which societies are transformed over long periods; and  as consisting of deliberate effort aimed at improvement on the part of various agencies, including governments, all kinds of organizations and social movements.  The focus of this essay will be on development as a vision, since it is the sense which can be used to describe or measure the extent or state of being of a society.

Join now!

Development as a vision is seen as goals for development efforts while development as a state of being lends itself to measurement.  Some of the criteria which can be used to measure development bring us to the term more or less developed.  This is usually done using tables showing how developed countries are according to various criteria and development indicators.  Development can also be seen as following in the footsteps of the West which leads us to the issue of development being viewed in terms of modernization.

Western countries have undergone industrial revolution, which has ...

This is a preview of the whole essay