Inequalities in World Development: Indicators, Causes, and Consequences

Other indicators: adult literacy, diet, energy consumption, employment structures.

Life Expectancy: Regarded by the UN as the better indicator to measure the safety and health of the country.

Educational Attainment: Obtained by the combination of adult literacy rates and the primary, secondary, and tertiary student enrollment rates.

Real GDP per Capita: Adjusted to the actual purchasing power, representing what the average income will actually buy in a country.

Causes of Inequality:

• Minerals:

Social: Education, health, better quality life.

Political: Government, civil war.

Environmental: Earthquakes, etc.

Consequences of Inequality:

• Higher birth rates and infant mortality rates.
• Poorer education facilities, poorer diets, and poorer provision of services.
• More jobs in primary and informal sectors.
• A smaller volume of trade.
• Less purchasing power per capita.

World Trade and Interdependence:

No country is self-sufficient in the full range of raw materials (food, minerals, and energy). Trade is the flow of commodities from producers to consumers and is important in the development of a country. Raw materials, goods, and services bought by a country are called imports, and those sold by a country are called exports. The difference between them is called trade balance.

Patterns of World Trade:

The LEDCs provide primary goods such as foodstuffs and raw materials. The MEDCs process primary goods, which they either possess themselves or obtain from LEDCs, into secondary goods.

Plate Tectonics:

Primary Effects: A lot of buildings collapsed, several trains on minor lines were destroyed.

Secondary Effects: Electricity, gas, and water supplies were disrupted, fires caused by broken gas pipes, roads were at gridlock, people were made homeless and had to live in temporary shelters. People were afraid to return home due to the aftershock, some industries were forced to close.