What is the Concept of Development?

Development often refers to the gradual change, advancement and growth of something or an activity

When it comes to socio-economic development, development is more associated with changes that bring about positive outcomes. But one person’s idea of ​​what constitutes progress may be different from another’s idea of development might mean because they may measure progress using different criteria that may not align to the views of each person.

We can agree on one simple definition, development can bring about social changes that can lift people’s quality of life.

Development as a political idea

The views related to development can change depending on the organization and the individuals who want to achieve it. It often reflects the different agendas of the people who act to achieve development.

For example, the idea of ​​development based on the World Bank is sustainable development. Not just the construction of infrastructure or the urbanization of an area, development must have long-term positive effects on people through various projects and policies with the aim of mitigating the effects of social problems.

While social progress groups might think development can be achieved through social justice, by changing the policies that may be outdated and incompatible with the life of during these modern times. 

Another thing to remember is that development is a process and not the outcome; development can be considered a dynamic process because action to achieve it may change.

Development can be considered more of a political concept when you start to consider that the will to act is burdened by society and its leaders. We need to ask questions like: who has the power to take action for development? What are the limits and sacrifices a society can make in the name of progress? What outcomes can be considered development?

How do you know if a country is more developed than another country?

This can be measured by looking at GDP and GNP, and other economic indicators of a country. Even though this is the easiest way to measure a country’s progress, it is not enough to know if progress is really taking place.

One of the things that should be paid attention to is the allocation of wealth within that country. It should be known if the resources are distributed fairly among the citizens; do people have cheap and easy access to various services such as education and hospitals?

This is one of the reasons why countries with high GDPs and high Average Income still experience great differences in the quality of life. Positive GDP numbers might indicate an active economic system, but it doesn’t show if people have a high quality of life. It is still important to know the literacy rate, crime rate, poverty level and other social issues to truly know the bigger picture and be more informed about a country’s development

Reference:

• 2.1 What is development?, https://www.soas.ac.uk/cedep-demos/000_P501_USD_K3736-Demo/unit1/page_12.htm
• What is Development – ​​A Definitive Guide, https://www.mdgmonitor.org/what-is-development-guide/