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Global patterns of economic development

The Subject Guide

Global patterns and classifications of economic development:
  • low income countries
  • middle income countries and emerging economies
  • high income countries​

A. The 25 richest, healthiest, happiest, and most advanced countries in the world?

Watch the video clip below and consider the following questions:
  1. What methods could we use to measure the wealth, health and happiness of a country?
  2. What problems might be faced in trying to measure these? Which do you consider will be most difficult to measure and why?
  3. Why do geographers and other social scientists often use GDP per capital (PPP) as an indicator of the overall development of a country?

B. World Bank Classification Of Countries

1. Study the map below which shows the World Bank classifications of countries by income.
Picture
2. Use the map and the World Bank website to produce a SIMPLIFIED and ANNOTATED sketch map to show the spatial distribution of the low, middle and high income countries.
3. Write a paragraph describing the distribution: your paragraph should reference each continent. Remember to identify and explain anomalies as well as overall patterns and trends.Name countries and use specifics in your description.
4. Use the World Bank website to explain how each group of countries is defined by income.
Picture
World bank website

C. Emerging Economies

1. Read the article on characteristics of NICs and watch the video on BRICS.
2. Create a spider diagram to show the key characteristics of NICS.
3. How do these emerging economies differ from other low or middle income countries?
4. How can you explain the importance of this group of countries?
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF NICS?

D. Dollar Street: Quality of Life

1) Choose one country to represent each of:
  • low income countries
  • middle income countries
  • high income countries
  • an emerging economy
2) For each country, use Dollar Street to investigate and describe each of the following:
  • The range of incomes in the country (comment on the gap between rich and poor)
  • Quality of life for people living in the country. to do this you will need to "visit" several families and examine their lives, possessions, cooking, education etc.
3) How would you categorise your own home country? To what extent do you recognise the characteristics/agree with the classification? Justify your answer.
Picture

E. Mini-essay

  • Use the map in section B to describe and explain global patterns of economic development.
  • Critically evaluate the world bank classification of countries into High, Middle and Low income.
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of using a choropleth map like that in B to show spatial distribution of wealth.

F. Additional Reading

  • Geography Course Companion (Nagle and Cook) - pp388-391
  • Planet Geography (Codrington) - pp
UN document on classification of countries
Picture
  • Home
    • Contact
  • MYP
    • Development >
      • An unequal world?
      • Billionaires investigation
      • Africa: the danger of a single story
      • Patterns of development
      • Trade and development
      • Fair Trade
      • Sustainable Development Goals
    • Tectonic Hazards >
      • What is risk?
      • Alfred Wegener and Continental Drift
      • Plate tectonics
      • Distribution of tectonic hazards
      • Measuring earthquakes
      • Why do people die in earthquakes?
      • School earthquake plan
      • Earthquake assessment
      • Volcanoes - what are they? Why are they important?
      • Volcano "Science Fair"
      • Causes of tsunami
    • Population >
      • Why study population?
      • Population distribution
      • Population growth
      • Population pyramids
      • Demographic transition model
      • Migration
      • Migration examples - case studies
      • Refugees in Indonesia
      • Population revision activities
    • Weather and Climate >
      • Weather vs Climate and why is it important?
      • Climate graphs
      • Why does it rain?
      • What affects temperature and why is Jakarta so hot and wet?
      • What causes wind and how do we measure it?
      • Microclimates
  • IGCSE
    • Course information
    • Physical: Hazardous environments >
      • Distribution of tectonic hazards
      • Causes of tsunami
      • Measuring earthquakes
      • Earthquake case study 1: Haiti
      • Earthquake case study 2: Christchurch
      • Why do earthquakes do more damage in LICs than in HICs?
      • How are volcanic eruptions measured?
      • Tropical storms - distribution
      • Causes of tropical cyclones
      • Tropical cyclones - case study
      • Why live in hazardous areas?
    • River Environments >
      • Hydrological cycle
      • River basins
      • Factors affecting river regimes
      • Fluvial processes: erosion
      • Fluvial processes: weathering and mass movement
      • Fluvial processes: transportation and depositon
      • River features and their formation
      • How rivers change from source to mouth
      • Uses of water
      • Water pollution
      • Water supply
  • IBDP
    • Changing population >
      • Global patterns of economic development
      • Physical and human factors affecting global population distribution
      • Case study 1: China
      • Case study 2: Niger
      • Demographic transition
      • Megacity growth
      • Forced migration and internal displacement
      • Ageing populations
      • Pro-natalist and anti-natalist policies
      • Gender equality policies
      • Trafficking policies
      • The Demographic Dividend
    • Global climate vulnerability and resilience >
      • Atmospheric system
      • The energy balance
      • Changes in the energy balance
      • The enhanced greenhouse effect
      • Climate Change and the Hydrosphere, Atmosphere and Biosphere
      • Impacts of climate change on people and places
      • Disparities in exposure to climate change risk and vulnerability
      • Government-led adaptation and mitigation strategies
      • Civil society and corporate strategies
    • Global resource consumption and security >
      • Progress towards poverty reduction
      • Measuring trends in global consumption
      • Global patterns and trends in the availability and consumption of water
      • Global patterns and trends in the availability and consumption of land/food
      • Global patterns and trends in the availability and consumption of energy
      • Water food and energy nexus
      • Recycling and waste
      • Malthus vs Boserup
      • Resource Stewardship strategies
      • Sustainable Development Goals
    • Freshwater - drainage basins >
      • The drainage basin as a system
      • How rivers change from source to mouth
      • River discharge
      • River processes
      • River landforms
      • Factors affecting flood risk
      • Attempts at flood prediction
      • Flood mitigation
      • Flood mitigation case studies
      • Water scarcity
      • Agricultural activities and water quality
      • Pressures on lakes and aquifers
      • Internationally shared water and conflict
      • Water management: participation of local communities
      • Dams as multi-purpose schemes
      • Water management: Integrated Drainage Basin Management (IDBM)
      • Managing wetlands
    • Leisure, Sport and Tourism >
      • Growth and purpose of leisure time
      • Categories of tourism and sport
      • Economic development and participation
      • Factors affecting personal participation
      • Factors affecting growth of tourism hotspots
      • Spheres of influencee
      • Factors affecting a national sports league
      • Festivals
      • Niche national tourism strategies
      • Role of TNCs
      • Tourism as a national development strategy
      • International sporting events
      • Consequences of unsustainable growth
      • Sustainable tourism
      • Future international tourism
      • Political and cultural influences on sport
    • Extended Essay in Geography >
      • Supervisor meetings
    • Skills/concepts >
      • Infographics
      • 4 Ps
      • Mock examination revision and preparation
  • Geography and ToK
  • Theory of Knowledge
    • Knowledge and Technology
    • Knowledge and Language
    • Knowledge and Politics
    • Knowledge and Religion
    • Knowledge and Indigenous Societies