Chapter 1 – Development | Deep Dive
Key Takeaway
01. Subjectivity of Progress
Individuals have diverse aspirations based on their life situations; what constitutes development for one may be destructive for another.
02. Limitations of Per Capita Income
Average income (per capita) is the standard metric used by the World Bank to classify nations, but it obscures internal disparities and ignores quality-of-life indicators like health and education.
03. The HDI Model
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) utilizes the Human Development Index (HDI) to provide a more holistic comparison based on health status, educational levels, and income.
04. Public Facility Necessity
Critical components of development, such as healthcare, education, and a pollution-free environment, cannot be purchased individually but must be provided collectively.
05. Sustainability Crisis
Current development trajectories are threatening essential resources, specifically groundwater and crude oil, necessitating a shift toward sustainable practices to protect future generations
1. The Multi-Faceted Nature of Developmental Goals
Development is not a monolithic objective but a collection of aspirations and desires regarding how one lives and what a country should be. These goals vary significantly based on an individual’s socio-economic category.
Divergent Aspirations by Category
The following table outlines how development is perceived by different groups:
Category of Person
|
Developmental Goals / Aspirations
|
|---|---|
Landless Rural Labourers
|
More days of work, better wages, quality education for children, and an end to social discrimination.
|
Prosperous Punjab Farmers
|
High family income through high support prices and cheap labor; ability to settle children abroad.
|
Urban Rich Girl
|
Freedom and opportunities equal to her brother; ability to decide her career and study abroad.
|
Adivasi (Narmada Valley)
|
Prevention of land submergence from large dams; preference for small check dams or irrigation tanks.
|
The Reality of Conflicting Goals
Progress is often a zero-sum game between different groups. For example, industrialists may demand large dams for electricity, but such projects displace tribal populations and destroy their livelihoods. Thus, development can be destructive to those whose interests are not represented.
2. Income and the Quality of Life
While people consistently seek higher income—represented by better wages and decent prices for products—money alone is an inadequate measure of well-being.
- Non-Material Goals: Quality of life depends heavily on non-material factors such as equal treatment, freedom, security, and respect.
- Measure vs. Importance: It is a fallacy to assume that things which cannot be easily measured (like friendship or dignity) are not important.
- Case of Working Women: Paid work increases a woman’s dignity, but true development requires a secure environment and a societal shift toward sharing domestic responsibilities.
3. Methodologies for Comparing Regions and Nations
To compare the development levels of different states or countries, researchers use specific attributes, primarily income-based or holistic.
The World Bank Approach (Per Capita Income)
The World Bank classifies countries based on Average Income (Total Income / Total Population).
- High-Income Countries (2024): Per capita income of US$ 66,500 or more.
- Low-Income Countries (2024): Per capita income of US$ 2,300 or less.
- India’s Status: Classified as a low-middle-income country with a per capita income of approximately US$ 11,000 per annum (2024).
Limitations of Averages: Averages can be misleading because they hide disparities. As illustrated in the source, two countries might have the same average income, but in “Country A,” wealth is equitably distributed, while in “Country B,” one person is extremely rich and the rest are poor.
Holistic Comparison: Kerala vs. Haryana vs. Bihar
A comparison of Indian states reveals that high income does not guarantee superior social outcomes:
State
|
Per Capita Income (2023-24)
|
Literacy Rate % (2017-18)
|
Infant Mortality Rate (2020)
|
|---|---|---|---|
Haryana
|
Rs 3,25,759
|
82
|
28
|
Kerala
|
Rs 2,81,001
|
94
|
6
|
Bihar
|
Rs 60,337
|
62
|
27
|
Observation: Despite having a lower per capita income than Haryana, Kerala has a significantly lower Infant Mortality Rate and higher literacy. This is attributed to the adequate provision of basic health and educational facilities and an effective Public Distribution System (PDS).
4. The Human Development Index (HDI)
The UNDP’s Human Development Report emphasizes that the most important aspect of development is what happens to citizens.
Comparative Data on India and Neighbors (2023)
Country
|
GNI Per Capita (2021 PPP $)
|
Life Expectancy at Birth
|
HDI Rank (World)
|
|---|---|---|---|
Sri Lanka
|
12,616
|
77.5
|
89
|
India
|
9,047
|
72
|
130
|
Bangladesh
|
8,498
|
74.7
|
130
|
Nepal
|
4,726
|
70.4
|
145
|
Pakistan
|
5,501
|
67.6
|
168
|
Analysis: Sri Lanka, a much smaller neighbor, outperforms India across every metric. Furthermore, countries with lower per capita income than India (like Nepal and Bangladesh) have achieved higher life expectancy rates, highlighting the importance of focused human development.
5. Public Facilities and Nutrition
Individual wealth cannot ensure a pollution-free environment, unadulterated medicines, or protection from infectious diseases. These must be provided through collective action.
- Educational Access: Many children, especially girls, remain out of school because society or the government fails to provide adequate infrastructure. In Bihar, nearly one-third of children aged 15-17 are not attending secondary school.
- Nutritional Status: One-fifth of the Indian population is undernourished.
- Body Mass Index (BMI): Calculated as (Weight in kg) / (Height in meters squared).
- Disparities: In states like Madhya Pradesh, 28% of males and females are below normal BMI, whereas in Kerala, the figures are 8.5% and 10%, respectively.
6. Sustainability of Development
Modern development often relies on the depletion of natural resources, which is fundamentally unsustainable.
Groundwater Depletion in India
- Over one-third of the country is overusing groundwater reserves.
- In the next 25 years, 60% of the country could face this crisis if current usage continues.
- Overuse is most severe in agriculturally prosperous areas (Punjab, Western U.P.) and rapidly growing urban centers.
Exhaustion of Non-Renewable Resources
Resources like crude oil have fixed stocks that cannot be replenished.
Region
|
Crude Oil Reserves (Thousand Million Barrels)
|
Years Reserves Will Last
|
|---|---|---|
Middle East
|
836
|
70
|
United States
|
69
|
10.5
|
World Total
|
1732
|
47
|
Glossary
-
Average Income (Per Capita Income)The total income of a country or state divided by its total population.Body Mass Index (BMI)A measure of health calculated by dividing a person’s weight (kg) by the square of their height (metres).Developed CountriesGenerally, rich countries with high per capita income (excluding certain Middle Eastern and small countries).Gross National Income (GNI) Per CapitaThe total value produced by a country’s residents divided by the population, often calculated using Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) for international comparison.Human Development Index (HDI)A composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators used to rank countries.Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)The number of children that die before the age of one year as a proportion of 1,000 live births in that year.Life Expectancy at BirthThe average expected length of life of a person at the time of their birth.Literacy RateThe proportion of the literate population in the 7-and-above age group.Net Attendance RatioThe total number of children in a specific age group (e.g., 15–17 years) attending school as a percentage of the total number of children in that same age group.Non-Renewable ResourcesResources that have a fixed stock on Earth and cannot be replenished once exhausted, such as fossil fuels.Public Distribution System (PDS)A government-sponsored chain of shops (ration shops) aimed at distributing essential food and non-food items to the poor at subsidized rates.Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)A method of adjusting income figures so that one dollar buys the same amount of goods and services in any country being compared.Renewable ResourcesResources replenished by nature, such as crops, plants, and groundwater, though they remain susceptible to overuse.Sustainable DevelopmentDevelopment that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.