Studying development is essentially about measuring how developed one country is compared to other countries or to the same country in the past. It is common knowledge that each country is aiming to be defined as developed. For us is to determine which measure is a better representative of how country is developed HDI or GNP per capita.
Firstly, we will define what economic development is. Secondly we will compare Gross National Product and Gross Domestic Product. Thirdly, we will outline the problems with these indicators. Finally, we will try to find out whether HDI is a solution to the problems identified in GNP/GDP.
What is economic development?
As the definition states economic development is a “sustainable increase in
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On the other hand we have real GNP which measures the value of output in two or more different years by valuing the goods and services adjusted for inflation.
Problems with GNP/GDP
GNP is merely a gross measure of market activity which counts only money transactions and excludes goods and services (like taking care, cleaning, food preparation) that people provide each other free. In terms of developed economies like United Kingdom it would not be a huge difference, however in less developed countries much of its production takes place in the household economy like growing crops and farming animals for the purpose of the household not selling. Therefore it would not be included in countries GNP/GDP.
The World Bank itself recognizes many of these problems. Although they reflect the average incomes in a country, GNP per capita and GDP per capita have numerous limitations when it comes to measuring people’s actual well-being. Taking as example countries which dig oil, where sheikhs earn millions and other live in poverty, the GNP per capita will count them equal dividing their income and not showing how equitably income is distributed.
They do not account for pollution, environmental degradation, and resource depletion. As a result of the problems outlined above, much of GDP can be composed of: fixing
Economic development can be defined generally as involving an improvement in economic welfare, measured using a variety of indices, such as the Human Development Index (HDI). A developing country is described as a nation with a lower standard of living, underdeveloped industrial base, and a low HDI relative to other countries. There are several factors which may have the effect of limiting economic development in such countries. Factors such as these include: primary product dependency, the savings gap and political instability.
14. Explain why a nation’s GDP is both a good and poor measure of its economic well-being and progress?
Gross domestic product is the market value of final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. Which this is commonly considered an indicator of the standard of living within a country. Real GDP on the other hand is measure of the value of economic output that adjust for price changes. Nominal GDP is a gross domestic product figure that has not been
GDP, or gross domestic product, is the sum total value of all goods and services produced by a country within a given year. To achieve this sum, everything produced and exported, all of the money spent by consumers and government, investments, and many other contributing factors are calculated and combined. A nation’s GDP is used as the main indicator of the economic status of that nation. In general, the higher a country’s GDP is, the greater the health of that country’s economy. However, GDP is not as helpful or accurate a calculation as “real GDP”. Real GDP is a term that refers
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a calculation that provides insight into the current economy of our nation to allow individuals to understand the current and past year’s standings in the economy. The calculation of the GDP allows for the government to determine what adjustments are necessary to manage an effective status for the economy. Based upon the GDP the government can forecast any necessary changes that must be made to either the monetary policy or the fiscal policy. The wealth of a country is based upon the government’s ability to manage the economy through the monetary system and not on the amount of money that is located within that economy. The calculations for the GDP are produced to provide the most
Normally, real GDP is a much better measurement then nominal GDP for the basic fact that the value of a loaf of bread is remained unchanged, but because of the fluctuation of the inflation, that makes it market price different.
Not all aspects of economic growth are positive, for example when an economy is at, or near its full capacity of productivity prices can be driven up causing inflation and the devaluing of their currency, where each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services that it previously could have. It can increase the
Measures of economic well-being such as GDP are subject to some limitations hence it is appropriate to use other alternative measures of economic growth. The limitations of GDP in measuring the economic well-being of a country include failure to capture the underground economy and failure to capture changes inequality. Others include the development of new products and failure to take in account human or leisure costs (Maddison 48).
Throughout the world countries are often characterized as being developed or developing. Two countries that are examples of being developed and developing are the United States and India. This classification of countries is often based on their economic status. Examples of economic categories that differentiate which countries are developed and developing are unemployment levels, living conditions, and economic growth. Despite countries being developed and developing, they all are always trying to improve their economic status. Comparing India and the United States, one can gain a better understanding of the differences of developed and developing countries.
Economic development can be defined generally as involving an improvement in economic welfare, measured using a variety of indices, such as the Human Development Index (HDI). A developing country is described as a nation with a lower standard of living, underdeveloped industrial base, and a low HDI relative to other countries. There are several factors which may have the effect of limiting economic development in such countries. Factors such as these include: primary product dependency, the savings gap and political instability.
Robert F Keneddy speech on GDP highlighted the unique aspects associated with the understanding of GDP. The speech talked about the meaning and importance of GDP and the misinterpretations that are often attached with the concept. He was of the view that accumulation of material things has remained a main focus of economic agents and doing so community values and community excellence are often compromised. In his speech he presented an important concept that GDP cannot be used as a measure of welfare of wellbeing of the economy because it does not take into account the health of individuals, their standard of living, quality of education provided to the individuals etc. In this way it is not a good option to rely on GDP while having an idea about the development of an economy.
Economic growth is a necessary but not sufficient condition of economic development. There is no single definition that encompasses all the aspects of economic development. The most comprehensive definition perhaps of economic development is the one given by Todaro: ‘Development is not purely an economic phenomenon but rather a multi – dimensional process involving reorganization and re orientation of the entire economic and social system. Development is a process of improving the quality of all human lives with three equally important aspects. These are: 1.
Development is defined as “the process of change operating over time- the process by which countries and societies advance and become richer’’. The modern 20th century defines development as” the process of change which allows all the basic needs of a region to be met, thereby achieving greater social justice and quality of life and encouraging people to fulfill their potential’’. Todaro defines development as “the process of improving the quality of all human lives through raising people’s living standards, their incomes, consumption levels of food, medical services, education, raising people’s self-esteem through the establishment of social, political and economic systems and institutions that promote dignity and respect and increasing people’s
Gross Domestic Product (or known as GDP), is defined as, “aggregate output as the dollar value of all final goods and services produced within the borders of a country during a specific period of time, typically a year” (McConnell, Brue, & Flynn, 2012). This measures the value of the output in monetary terms, and you can check current trends of the GDP by taking a look at the Bureau of Economic Analysis website. Today, we are taking a look at the “Release Highlights” link to check the most current trends within the GDP.
In earlier times Gross Domestic Product was one of the main indicators to measure a country’s wealth. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is defined as the total value of all the goods and services produced by a nation in any given year ("Is the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) a Good Measure of Prosperity?"). There are two ways of calculating a country’s GDP. The first is the income approach which is calculated by adding the wages of workers, income from rent, interest and profits. The second, more common form of calculating GDP, is the expenditure approach. Here GDP totals consumption expenditure, investment, government spending and net exports. GDP statistics are considered to reflect a county’s economic output which could possibly lead to growth. However GDP is a measure of income and it should not be confused with wealth. Which is why most modern economists do not consider GDP to be a good measure of a