Development Meaning and Definition
Development Meaning and Definition
What is development?
Development refers to the process as a result of which along with increase in real
per capita income, there is a reduction in inequality, poverty, illiteracy and diseases
The act of developing or disclosing that which is unknown; a gradual unfolding
process, by which anything is developed, as a plan or method,
Infrastructure
Education
Health
Transportation
DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION
MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS
In the pursuit of a more secure, stable and sustainable world, developing countries
seek to enhance their human, institutional and infrastructure capacity. To do so
they need a solid base of technologically prepared people to effectively improve
their economies and quality of life. Such a base will facilitate the infusion of
foreign capital through attraction of multinational companies to invest in the
developing country, assist in making the most of foreign aid funds, and provide a
basis for business development by local entrepreneurs. In a coordinated approach,
UNESCO and WFEO are mounting major efforts at technical capacity building in
developing countries.
Economic development for developing countries can be effectively stimulated by
building the technical capacity of their workforce, through quality engineering
education programs. A competent technical workforce base can then provide
several paths to economic development: attraction of technically oriented multi-
national companies, who can invest effectively in the developing country once
there is a cadre of qualified local employees available; effective utilization of
foreign aid funds, and providing a legacy of appropriate infrastructure projects and
technically competent people to operate and maintain them; and small business
startups by technically competent entrepreneurs.
n the global economy of the 21st Century, engineers play a key role in overall
economic development for countries and regions. In the well developed countries,
the role of the engineer is well understood and utilized. In much of the developing
world, however, the available pool of engineering talent is typically below critical
mass and economic development and even important basic societal needs that
rely on engineering such as clean water supply and sanitation lack the technical
talent to address them.
While emphasis on health and basic relief needs must continue, there is also a
critical need to break the cycles of poverty through development of strong and
competitive economies that can relate to world markets. The building of
indigenous pools of people with quality educations in science, technology, and
engineering can help lead to economic growth and healthy economies.
n the case of India there has been a long-term effort to increase the numbers of
engineering graduates and the quality of their education. Whereas in the past, many
of these graduates sought employment outside the country, now many are returning
and newer graduates are staying to work in India in the software and design
industries, often to high-tech cities where well-paying careers and extensive
numbers of colleagues await them. The growing number of technically proficient
and well-educated specialists also has enabled India to become a prime location for
the outsourcing technical support by the worlds leading technology firms.
In China, already a major economic power, the proportion of first science and
engineering degrees to all bachelors-equivalent degrees was 59%, as compared to
about 33% in the US in 2001 (Source: Science and Engineering Indicators 2004,
National Science Foundation, National Science Board). The report opens with the
statement:
Given the strong relation between creation of a critical mass of educated and
skilled engineering and science graduates, shouldnt efforts be made to build these
capacities in Sub-Saharan African countries? This is one of the conclusions
reached by both UNESCO and the World Federation of Engineers (WFEO). The
World Federation of Engineering Organizations was founded in 1968 under the
auspices of the UNESCO in Paris and is a non-governmental international
organization that brings together national engineering organizations from over 90
nations and represents some 8,000,000 engineers from around the world. WFEO is
the worldwide leader of the engineering profession and co-operates with national
and other international professional institutions in developing and applying
engineering to the benefit of humanity.
Engineering for the America : This project, being carried out in conjunction
with the Organization of American States, is focused on developing plans
for enhancing engineering education and practice throughout Latin
American and the Caribbean .
South-south interactions
The basic needs approach is one of the major approaches to the measurement
of absolute poverty. It attempts to define the absolute minimum resources
necessary for long-term physical well-being, usually in terms of consumption
goods. The poverty line is then defined as the amount of income required to satisfy
those needs.
In the development discourse, the basic needs model focuses on the measurement
of what is believed to be an eradicable level of poverty. Development
programs following the basic needs approach do not invest in economically
productive activities that will help a society carry its own weight in the future,
rather it focuses on allowing the society to consume just enough to rise above the
poverty line and meet its basic needs. These programs focus more on subsistence
than fairness. Nevertheless, in terms of "measurement", the basic needs or absolute
approach is important. The 1995 world summit on social development in
Copenhagen had, as one of its principal declarations that all nations of the world
should develop measures of both absolute and relative poverty and should gear
national policies to "eradicate absolute poverty by a target date specified by each
country in its national context.
INDICATORS OF DEVELOPMENT
The Kelburn Workshop began with a discussion on the nature of economic and
social development. It reached a broad consensus on five priorities:
Literacy, education, and skills (literacy, education, training and skills, and
opportunities for all members of society to increase their capacities) The
availability and level of education is an indicator in its own right; it also
contributes to increased individual and social choice, and is a prerequisite
for better democracy and governance.
Health (life expectancy, maternal and infant mortality, quality of life, and
the levels of health care available in situations of morbidity) Physical
health and well-being are basic requirements of stable population growth
and the ability to function more effectively on a regular basis.
Income and economic welfare (high levels of employment, high incomes
per capita, and increased gross national product, with appropriate corrections
for environmental protection and for income equity) Personal savings and
investment to support structural change are important.
Choice, democracy, and participation (participation in social and
economic affairs, with fair economic rewards, the availability of reasonable
choice, and participation in the democratic process) The political process
can enable or inhibit development. The importance of good government and
appropriate democratic institutions to articulate social goals cannot be over-
emphasized. Participants were not greatly concerned with the formality of
these organizations, but were much more interested in their effectiveness in
serving social goals.
Technology (the capacity to develop technological innovations and to make
technological choices) Few countries are capable of radical innovation as
R&D becomes more expensive and complicated. For these countries, a more
appropriate indicator is the capacity, in terms of know-how and wealth, to
make the appropriate choice between competing technologies and to develop
or adapt technology to fit their own needs.
Cultural indicators are also obviously important, but can be problematic. They are
difficult to quantify, and there is little consensus about which cultural values
actually support development. OECD countries exhibit varying attitudes and
approaches to support learning, innovation, wealth creation, and social
development. There are similar differences found in developing countries.
An introduction
High in the Peruvian Andes, an unexpected and severe February frost wipes out the
potato crop of hundreds of farm families toiling at an elevation above 8,000 feet.
The farmers have no safety net; theyve lost not only their current crop but their
seeds for the next growing season as well. I am crying as if one of my own
children died, one farmer says, tears streaming down her face.
The plight of the Andean farmers, devastated by unexpected weather and now
facing malnutrition as well as the difficult task of obtaining seeds for next years
potato crop, presents a classic problem in communication about development. The
Peruvian farmers, voiceless, essentially dont exist. Though their country posted
rapid economic growth last year, approaching an impressive 10 percent, these
Andean subsistence farmers remain one bad day away from the worst kind of
food insecurity.
Their story has yet to make news in Peru and almost surely never will.
The plight of these poor farmersand how the media should go about telling their
story and many others like itis the subject of this essay.
How best, in short, can the media cover development?
The issue of development is one of the most divisive of our time. Development for
whom? Privileged elites? The mass of poor? The striving
middle classes? And development at what cost? Should it come at the expense of
the environment, so that rapid economic growth lays the seeds for future
catastrophes? Is development essentially economic or human? Is it best measured
by the health and education of people?
The market for corporate equities? Employment?
IssuThere are a number of important issues that have been debated throughout the
history of developmental psychology. The major questions include the following:
Is development due more to genetics or environment? Does development occur
slowly and smoothly, or do changes happen in stages? Do early childhood
experiences have the greatest impact on development, or are later events equally
important?
Nature vs. Nurture
The debate over the relative contributions of inheritance and the environment is
one of the oldest issues in both philosophy and psychology. Philosophers such as
Plato and Descartes supported the idea that some ideas are inborn. On the other
hand, thinkers such as John Locke argued for the concept of tabula rosaa belief
that the mind is a blank slate at birth, with experience determining our
knowledge.
Today, most psychologists believe that it is an interaction between these two forces
that causes development. Some aspects of development are distinctly biological,
such as puberty. However, the onset of puberty can be affected by environmental
factors such as diet and nutrition.
Psychoanalytic theorists tend to focus upon events that occur in early childhood.
According to Freud, much of a childs personality is completely established by the
age of five. If this is indeed the case, those who have experienced deprived or
abusive childhoods might never adjust or develop normally.
In contrast to this view, researchers have found that the influence of childhood
events does not necessarily have a dominating effect over behavior throughout the
life. Many people with less-that-perfect childhoods go on to develop normally into
well-adjusted adults.
One of the biggest concerns of many parents is whether or not their child is
developing normally. Developmental guidelines chart the age at which certain
skills and abilities emerge, creating concern when a child falls slightly behind
the norm. While developmental theories have historically focused upon
deficits in behavior, focus on individual differences in development is
becoming more common.
Media Development
UNESCO helps to strengthen the capacities of communication institutions, to
improve the training of media professionals and to raise awareness among the
public in making best use of communication resources.
For the last twenty years, the International Programme for the Development of
Communication (IPDC) has played a key role in financing media development
projects all over the world.
Community Media
Goals
Target 1A: Halve the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day
o Proportion of population below $1 per day (PPP values)
o Poverty gap ratio [incidence x depth of poverty]
o Share of poorest quintile in national consumption
Target 1B: Achieve Decent Employment for Women, Men, and Young
People
o GDP Growth per Employed Person
o Employment Rate
o Proportion of employed population below $1 per day (PPP values)
o Proportion of family-based workers in employed population
Target 1C: Halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
o Prevalence of underweight children under five years of age
o Proportion of population below minimum level of dietary energy
consumption
Target 2A: By 2015, all children can complete a full course of primary
schooling, girls and boys
o Enrollment in primary education
o Completion of primary education
o Literacy of 15-24 year olds, female and male
Target 4A: Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-
five mortality rate
o Under-five mortality rate
o Infant (under 1) mortality rate
o Proportion of 1-year-old children immunised against measles
Target 6A: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread
of HIV/AIDS
o HIV prevalence among population aged 1524 years
o Condom use at last high-risk sex
o Proportion of population aged 1524 years with comprehensive
correct knowledge of HIV/AIDS
Target 6B: Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for
HIV/AIDS for all those who need it
o Proportion of population with advanced HIV infection with access to
antiretroviral drugs
Target 6C: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence
of malaria and other major diseases
o Prevalence and death rates associated with malaria
o Proportion of children under 5 sleeping under insecticide-treated
bednets
o Proportion of children under 5 with fever who are treated with
appropriate anti-malarial drugs
o Prevalence and death rates associated with tuberculosis
o Proportion of tuberculosis cases detected and cured under DOTS
(Directly Observed Treatment Short Course)
Empowering Women
To improve, the status of women and empower them, the Government of India has
launched several schemes. The Balika Samriddhi Yojana (BSY) has been launched
with the specific objective of changing the community's attitude towards the girl
child. A mother of a girl child born on or after 1 5th August 1997 in a family below
the poverty line in rural or urban areas is given a grant of Rs 500. Five national
awards known as Stree Shakti Puraskar have been instituted. The awards will be
given to those who have fought for the rights of women. Several other initiatives
include establishing the National Commission for Women and Rashtriya Mahila
Kosh and setting up the National Creche Fund, Indira Mahila Yojana, Balika
Samriddhi Yojana, and the Rural Women's Development and Empowerment
Project.
The department will work in collaboration with the State Commission for
Women on issues relating to safeguarding women's rights and promoting
their empowerment.
Discrimination against women in any form in reproductive health service
delivery will be removed.
Mobilization of grass-roots women's collectives, street theatres, and local
methods of dispute resolution will be tried out to effectively deal with
violence against women.
Women's self help groups will be involved in the provision of reproductive
health services, particularly emergency obstetric care.
Linkages will be established among the various departments and projects
aiming to improve status of women, sponsored by either thee central or state
government to achieve synergy.