A Level Sociology: Global Development Module Overview

Globalisation and its consequences

• There are Economic, Cultural and Political elements of Globalisation
• Optimist view of Globalisation
• Pessimist view of Globalisation
• Transformationalist
• Traditionalist
• Also…
• Does Globalisation mean the decline of the nation state?

The problems of defining and measuring development and underdevelopment

• How should we define and measure development?
• The strengths and limitations of Western notions and categories of development – 1st, 2nd and 3rd World, North-South Divide, World Bank economic indicators (High to Low Income Countries)
• The strengths and Limitations of using Economic indicators – mainly GNP/ GNI but also GDP, and HPI
• The strengths and limitations of using Social Indicators – HDI, MDGs and others…

Different theories of development, underdevelopment and global inequality

• Modernisation Theory – Internal cultural barriers to Development// Official Development Aid, Industrialisation, Capitalism
• Dependency Theory – Colonialism, Exploitation and Extraction by the West// Breaking Away/ Socialism
• World Systems Theory – Global Capitalist System – Core – Periphery –Semi-Periphery// Core Nations tend to remain dominant
• Neoliberalism – Too much aid breeds corruption// More Trade – Deregulation, Privatisation, Low Taxation
• People Centred Development – No Fixed path to development// Sustainability/ Democracy/ Justice
• Bottom Billion– Four Traps//Aid and Fairer Trade and Peace

Aid, debt and trade and their impact on development

• The strengths and Limitations of Official Development Aid
• The strengths and Limitations of Non-Governmental Organisation Aid
• The strengths and Limitations of Private Aid
• The strengths and Limitations of ‘Free Trade’
• Lots of complex stuff in the criticisms of the above – About Trade Rules! (Dumping/ Subsidies etc.)
• The strengths and Limitations of Fair Trade
• Also be ready for a question about ‘Debt’ and development

The role of transnational corporations, nongovernmental organisations and international agencies in local and global strategies for development. (This is done as part of the previous 4 topics!)

Development in relation to industrialisation and urbanisation

• Arguments for Industrialisation AND Urbanisation (Modernisation Theory)
• Arguments against Industrialisation (PCD/ Sustainable Development/ Dependency Theory
• Arguments against Urbanisation
• Slums (case studies!)
• Theories – Dependency Theory/ Global Pessimism

Work, employment, education and health as aspects of development

• How are they different in the developing world
• How does poor education etc. act as barriers to development
• How might improving them promote development?
• Why might western models not be appropriate to the developing world
• What are the limitations of each of these strategies in promoting development
• How important each of these development goals is compared to other development goals
• Relate all of this to theories of development

 War and Conflict in relation to development

• The nature of conflict in the developing world (small scale civil wars, not big scale techno wars)
• Causes of conflict in the less developed world
• How conflict prevents development
• The role of the developed world in conflict

Gender and Development

• The extent of gender inequality and oppression of women in developing countries
• How might promoting gender equality lead to development?
• How might women be disadvantaged in the process of development?
• Why do global gender inequalities exist? Modernisation Theory/ Dependency Theory/ Radical Feminism

Population and Consumption in relation to development

• Intro – Higher Birth rates in the developing world and population growth.
• Malthusian Perspectives on the causes and consequences of population growth
• Malthus
• Paul Erlich’s Population Bomb (Neo-Malthusianism)
• Criticisms of Malthusianism (alternative perspectives on the causes and consequences of population growth)
  • Science and Technology can feed more people
  • Increasing wealth = decreasing birth rates (Hans Rosling ) Population Growth is due to decreasing death rates – demographic transition, an indicator of increasing wealth!)
  • Dependency theory arguments – ‘Overpopulation’ is only a problem because of resource scarcity caused by the wests overconsumption (land grabs and bio fuels).
  • Uncertainty
• Explanations of why birth rates are higher in developing countries
• Strategies for reducing birth rates in developing countries
• Both of the last two – contrast modernisation and dependency theories.

 The Environment and Development

• Context – Development has been fundamentally linked to the burning of fossil fuels, industrialisation, urbanisation and high levels of consumption
• As a result we now face environmental problems (e.g. global warming, deforestation, pollution, toxic waste).
• These primarily affect developing countries and harm development (outline how!)
• Since the early 1990s – the concept of sustainable development has become big news – There are some limited International agreements – e.g. Kyoto Protocol/ MDG7.
• Limitations of sustainable development –
• Economic growth comes first, protecting the environment second
• No legally binding international agreements limiting the burning of fossil fuels
• Perspectives on what we should do about environmental problems
• Technocentric
• Ecocentric

Global Development Revision Notes

If you like this sort of thing, then you might like my Global Development Revision Notes –

 53 Pages of revision notes covering the following topics within global development:

1. Globalisation
2. Defining and measuring development
3. Theories of development (Modernisation Theory etc)
4. Aid, trade and development
5. The role of organisations in development (TNCs etc)
6. Industrialisation, urbanisation and development
7. Employment, education and health as aspects of development
8. Gender and development
9. War, conflict and development
10. Population growth and consumption
11. The environment and sustainable development