IB GLOBAL POLITICS DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERES

Development - Development is a sustained increase in the standard of living and well-being of a level of social organization. Many consider it to involve increased income; better access to basic goods and services; improvements in education, healthcare, and public health; well-functioning institutions; decreased inequality; reduced poverty and unemployment; and more sustainable production and consumption patterns. The focus on development debates in contemporary global politics is on issues faced by developing countries, and on the imperative of shifting the focus from modernization (seen as Westernization). However, all societies and communities face questions questions about how to best promote well-being and reduce ill-being. Globalization - Globalization is a process by which the world's local, national, and refional economies, societies, and cultures are becoming increasingly integrated and connected, The term refers to the reduction of barriers and borders, as people, goods, servies, and ideas flow more freelg between different parts of the world. Globalization is a process that has been raking place fro centuries but the pace has quickened in recent decades, facilitated by developments in transporatjon and communication technology, and powered by cheap energy. It is now widely acknowleged that globalization has both benefits and drawbacks and that its benefits are not evenly distributed. Inequality - Inequality refers to a state of affairs where equality between people or groups of people is not realized and the consequent potential compromises of justice and liberty. Inequality often manifests itself through unequal access to resources that are needed to sustain life and develop individuals and communities. Consequently, the concept is closely connected to discussions of power and of who holds the rights to these resources and their proceeds. Inequality can be examined both as a phenomenon within and between societies. Sustainability - Definitions of sustainability begin with the idea that development should meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainability today has three fields of debate - environmental, sociopolitical, and economic. In global politics, mechanisms and incentives required for political institutions, economic actors, and individuals to take a longer term and more inclusive well-being perspective in their decision-making are particularly important. Brief History of Development - Roscow's Model of Development Dependency Theory The Chicago BoysStructural Adjustment Programs Human Development Record Millenium Development Goals Sustainable Development Goals Rostow Model of Development - Modernization Theory of the stages of economic growth Five stages of economic growth Traditional societies - such societies are characterized by rudimentary technology, pre-scientific values and norms, and a subsistence economy Preconditions for take-off - at this stage societies exhibit a degree of capital mobilization (banks and currency) and start to develop an entrepreneurial class Take-off - this happens when the norms of economic growth are well established and sector-led growth becomes commons Drive to maturity - this is characterized by growing economic diversification, greatly reduced poverty and rising living standards High mass consumption - at this stage, the economy is increasingly orientated around the production of modern consumer goods, with affluence becoming widespread Dependency Theory/World Systems Theory - Dependency theory highlights the extent to which, in the post-1945 period, traditional imperialism gave way to neo-colonialism, sometimes viewed as "economic imperialism" or, more specifically, "dollar imperialism". Despite enjoying formal independence and sovereignty, developing world states continued to be subject to economic dependency, through for instance, unequal trade relations, the impact of TNCs and biases within bodies such as the IMF and the World Bank that favor the interests of industrially advanced states. The other key neo-Marxist sub-tradition is world system theory which portrays the world economy as an interlocking whole, composed of core, peripheral and semi-peripheral areas. In this, economically advanced and politically stable core areas dominate and exploit peripheral areas that are characterized by low wages, rudimentary technology, and a dependence on agriculture or primary production. Chicago Boys - The application of Milton Friedman and his colleagues. Friedman's theories emphasized that capitalism had to have a free reign of labor practices and independence from governmental sovereignty for a country to develop quickly and successfully. Supported Allende's overthrow in Chile.Millenium Development Goals - 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 2. Achieve universal primary education 3. Promote gender equality and empower women 4. Reduce child mortality 5. Improve maternal health 6. Combat HIV/AIDs, malaria, and other diseases 7. Ensure environmental sustainability 8. A global partnership for development To be achieved by the year of 2015. Most of the MDGs found a place in the national development strategies of member states. Contested Meaning of Development - Realist - Generally drawn heavily on the ideas of mercantilism. Mercantilism stresses the interplay between economics and politics, particularly through the extent to which healthy and stable domestic economies rely on a strong dose of state intervention, especially in order to manage external trade relations (implying protectionism). Liberal - Economic liberalism. Classic liberal economics draws heavily on individualist and rationalist assumptions about human nature, placing a strong emphasis on the idea that human beings are primarily motivated by the desire for material consumption. Development as growth. Market is selfregulating. For liberals, 'development failures' stem from factors that are internal to the society itself. Critical - Look at Dependency and World Systems Theory GNP - Gross National Product. The total value of goods produced and services provided by a country during one year, equal to the gross domestic product plus the net income from foreign investments. GDP - Gross Domestic Product. The total value of all the goods and services produced in an economy, a measure of national income. GNI - Gross National Income. The gross national income, previously known as gross national product, is the total domestic and foreign output claimed by residents of a country, consisting of gross domestic product, plus factor incomes earned by foreign residents, minus income earned in the domestic economy by nonresidents.Orthodox vs. Alternative Views of Development - Orthodox - Rostow Theory do Development Alternative - Dependency/World Systems Theory Absolute Poverty - A standard of poverty that is based on an income level or access to resources, especially food, clothing, and shelter, which are insufficient to 'keep body and soul together'. Being deprived of the necessities of life; that is, lacking sufficient food, fuel, shelter, and clothing to maintain 'physical efficiency'. Relative Poverty - A standard of poverty in which people are deprived of the living conditions and amenities which are customary in the society to which they belong. Establishes a link between poverty and inequality, and in so doing suggests that reducing or eradicating poverty can only be achieved through the redistribution of wealth and the promotion of equality. Poverty is therefore as much about restricted opportunities and the absence of freedom, in particular positive freedom, as it is about lack of income or resources. Social Poverty - Social class - social position depends on economic position, education, and social status. Poverty, for many, is a position of lowest class in which people lack the power, status, and opportunities that others possess. Dependency - on social assistance or "welfare" - a link between benefits and poverty is assumed. No distinction made in press between receiving gifts and being poor. Social exclusion - a term used in the EU to refer to people excluded from society due to poverty, vulnerable people (asylum seekers, disabled) or socially rejected people (AIDS sufferers, disabled people). Lack of entitlement - Amartya Sen argues that poverty is not a lack of goods but a lack of entitlement or legal, social, and political arrangements Inequality/Income Inequality - Relative poverty links widening inequality effectively means increased poverty. The gap between the richest and poorest countries has been increasing in recent decades. The World Bank, followed by most other bodies, uses a measure of inequality based on income, especially GDP per capita. The UN's notion of human development, is not only multidimensional but also shifts attention away from economic equality to equality of opportunity. Examples of success: China's absolute poverty fell from 250 million at the start of its reform process in 1978 to 28 million in 2001. Trends in Global Inequality - China Example - Accomplished MDG of halving the number of people in extreme poverty by 2015 met three years early.Sub-Saharan Africa exception because of poverty cycle exacerbated by the link between poverty and disease. Growing evidence that while between-country inequality is diminishing, within-country inequality has generally been growing. Income inequality has widened as a result of financial deregulation. Neoliberalism - Neoliberalism is an updated version of classical liberalism. It's central theme is the idea that the economy works best when left alone by government, reflecting a belief in free market economics and atomistic individualism. Market: good; State: bad. Key neoliberal policies include privatization, low public spending, deregulation, tax cuts (particularly corporate and direct taxes) and reduced welfare provision. Sustainable Development - Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains two key concepts: 1) the concept of need, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given, and 2) the concept of limitations, imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs. In some views, the key requirement of sustainability is that the net sum of natural and human capital available to future generations should not be less than that available to present generations. In other views 'radical ecological views', human capital as little more than a blight on nature, focusing just on the end to preserve and sustain natural capital