Last Updated on July 1, 2025 by Karl Thompson
Education, employment, and health are core aspects of human development and are central to understanding inequality and progress in developing countries. In sociology, these topics are explored in depth to uncover how global systems, government policies, and international agencies influence outcomes in the Global South.
This page brings together key resources on education and development sociology, health inequality and development, and employment and human development, providing sociological insights into the links between social policy and human wellbeing.
Education and International Development
Education plays a vital role in driving social and economic development. Sociologists explore how access to schooling, curriculum design, and international education policies affect the development trajectories of low-income countries.
- Start with this introduction to education and international development, which outlines how education is linked to economic growth, gender equality, and health improvements.
- For a more critical take, this post examines the impact of Western education on developing countries, raising important questions about cultural imperialism, language barriers, and whether Western models of education always benefit local populations.
Health Inequality and International Development
Health outcomes vary significantly across the globe, and these inequalities are deeply linked to development indicators such as income, infrastructure, and education levels. A sociological lens reveals the structural causes of poor health and evaluates policies aimed at improving health in the Global South.
- Begin with an overview of health indicators in international development, including life expectancy, infant mortality and access to clean water.
- This post explores why developing countries face so many health problems, looking at economic, environmental and social causes.
- Then review various strategies for improving health in developing countries, including both top-down and grassroots approaches.
- Finally, this analysis of theories of development applied to health shows how modernisation theory, dependency theory and post-development perspectives interpret global health inequalities.
Employment and Human Development
Employment is not just about income—it shapes identity, status, and social inclusion. In global development sociology, paid and unpaid work are analysed through the lens of inequality, gender, and access to opportunity.
Although there is no standalone post yet that focuses exclusively on employment and human development, the theme is woven throughout discussions of education and health. For example, better education often leads to higher employability, while poor health can be a major barrier to stable work. Developing countries frequently face high levels of informal employment, underemployment, and gender-based job segregation—topics to be explored further as new content is added.
Further Reading
This page is part of the wider Global Development topic on ReviseSociology, which includes resources on inequality, aid, debt, trade, and sustainability. Visit the main Global Development hub to explore more themes in development sociology.