How can development be measured and how useful are these measures?
Simple indicators
Qualitative indicators
Limitations of indicators
Composite indicators
Measure only one aspect of development
Infant mortality
Big Mac Index
Crude birth rate
Adult literacy
Crude death rate
GNI
GDP
More comprehensive as they measure more than one aspect of development.
Human Development Index (HDI) gives a country a score from 0 to 1 using three variable based on adjusted income, education and life expectancy. Norway is the highest (0.938) and Zimbabwe the least developed with (0.140). [2010]
Aspects of development not easily quantifiable. Qualitative measures have been devolpee]d due to the recent emphasis on measuring development in terms of issues, such as freedom, security and sustainability rather than by statistics. They may be more problematic but reflect more accurately the ways in which development is now viewed.
The use of both qualitative and quantitative measures is necessary for assessing the level of development of a given country and together can yield important and sometimes unexpected insights into development that neither qualitative or quantitative could provide on their own.
Many can be misleading as they are averages and do not show how far the benefits of development are shared within a population. e.g car ownership increases living standards but increases pollution. As with all statistics, development indicators are sometimes incomplete or inaccurate. Also, for some countries data is not reliable.
Benefits to indicators
They can allow us to use a figure for comparing countries
Countries can be ranked in order to fairly allocate aid payments.
Indicators give us an idea of what a country is like economically, socially and even environmentally.
Sum total of a country's output over the course of a year. Usually measured in $ and calculated per capita. A Comparisons, aid allocation, state of economy, fairly easy to calculate. D corruption, hides uneven distribution and variety, more accurate in 'market economies'.
Average value of goods and services produced by each person each year. Total earnings of the population are divided by population to get average earnings per person.
The % of people aged 15+ that can read and write. A Indicates education on offer, shows how many can't attend school D Disregards other skills, not enough schools or children aren't going?
Number of deaths under the age of 1 per 1000 births.A Understandable, can indicate healthcare, water quality and food supply D Developing countries have many unrecorded births, undisclosed figures, Other influences (e.g China's one child policy)
The number of people born per 1000 per year. High + low development. A Clear, future planning D political policies affect it, LIC figures inaccurate
The number of people who die per 1000 per year. An indicator of health, water, food supply, accommodation and sanitation. A Indicates level of health D Doesn't give reasons for death, LICs inaccurate, ageing populations distort figures
Chad 14.1/1000 and Iceland 6.3/1000 in 2014.
Bangladesh(22/1000) and Italy (9/1000)
Informal way of measuring the purchasing power parity (PPP) between two countries and tests market exchange rates.
A - It's able to spot anomalies, can identify where poverty is greatest to focus aid.
D - Quantity not quality, all variables are dependent on wealth, no measure of human rights/ freedom.
Other composite indicators include: The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and The Gender Inequality Index (GII)
Security - food, illness, old age security as well as security from aggressors.
Sustainability - difficult to quantify comprehensively. The US emits 18% of the worlds carbon.
Freedom - Afghanistan under Taliban rule was not 'free', N. Korea