ENQUIRY 3: GOING BOLDLY

Is India’s space programme justified?

The story of measuring development -
The quality of life that people experience across the globe varies greatly. It is
generally agreed that countries can be categorized into one of two groups:
more economically developed countries (MEDCs) and less economically
developed countries (LEDCs).
Is India’s space programme justified?
The story of measuring development -

Countries classed as MEDCs have a high standard of living with good

quality education and health care and an advanced industrial structure.
In contrast, the LEDCs have a low standard of living. Here schooling and
health facilities are basic and many people rely on subsistence farming to
survive.
Indicators of development

Different methods of measuring development can be used in order to classify a

country as developed or developing. Both economic and social indicators can
be used to analyse development.
Economic indicators
The most widely used economic indicators of the wealth of a country are:

1. Gross Domestic Product - (GDP) per capita, which is the total value of goods
and services produced in a country divided by the total population.
What Is GDP? | How Does GDP Measure The Health Of An Economy?

GDP
Indicators of development

2. Gross National Income - (GNI) per capita, which is the total value of goods
and services produced in a country plus income from foreign investments
divided by the total population.

Differences Between GDP & GNP

Gross Domestical Product Gross national productcal or Gross National
Income

● The most commonly used measure of a ● GNP/GNI is the total income that is earned by
countryʼs national income. a country’s factors of production regardless of
● Defined a total of economic activity in a where the assets are located.
● Example: Nike’s profits would now count for US
country, regardless of who own the not China’s since a US company actually owns
productive assets. the assets.
● Example: Nike (US-MNC) working in China ● GNI = GDP + income earned from assets
counts for Chinaʼs GDP, NOT US. abroad - income paid foreing assets operating
● GDP has to do with the physical location, domestically (Volkswagen or non US company)
where it's actually made! ●
● Trapped within geographical area!
● China is a domestic house, economic
activity goes in Chinaʼs gross domestic
product.
Why US GNP is higher than GDP? (Discuss)
Why US GNP is higher than GDP? (MNC companies)
ANSWER:

The GNP of the United States is $250 billion higher than its GDP
due to the high number of production activities by U.S. citizens in
overseas countries like MNC companies like Amazon or Apple.

This is because the income earned by domestic firms in overseas

countries exceeds the income earned by foreign firms within the
country, GNP is higher than the GDP.
PROBLEMS

There are problems, however, in using just one economic indicator. GNI per
capita only measures the wealth of a country and does not take into account
how the money is spent and the quality of life of the majority of people.

No indication is given of the distribution of wealth in each country.

These figures are averages which can be skewed by a few very rich people
holding the majority of wealth. They do not consider geographical differences
between urban and rural areas and between poor shanty towns and richer
inner city areas within the same country.
PROBLEMS

Look at the countries GNI globally! -

https://collins.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=ab3e7ba
5b2924ec5a1003025c337ea31

What can the GNI tell you about a country?

Money received from abroad such as foreign investment and economic development
aid. GNI per capita only shows economic development and says nothing about
whether people in a country have a good standard of living . It is an average and may
hide differences in wealth within a country.
 SOCIAL INDICATORS

There are a number of specific social indicators that are used to

measure the quality of life of a country:
1. Number of deaths per 1000 per year (Death rate)

2. Number of babies born per 1000 women per year (Birth rate)

3. Number of babies born per 1000 who die before the age of one
(Infant mortality rate)
 SOCIAL INDICATORS

4. Average age a person is expected to live to at birth (Life expectancy)

5. Percentage of the population with access to a safe water supply

6. Number of people per doctor

7. Number of calories consumed per person per day

8. School enrolments as a percentage of the relevant age group

9. Number of adults who are literate (Literacy rate)

10. Percentage of the labour force in agriculture

11. Ownership of telephones

 SOCIAL INDICATORS - PROBLEMS

There are problems associated with using only

social indicators. They do not necessarily reflect
inequalities in the distribution of income and
there is no universal system which agrees on
which aspects of development to measure.
 Human Development Index

● In 1990 the United Nations argued that income growth alone did not give
a true picture of development and that both social and economic
indicators should be examined.
● The Human Development Index (HDI) was devised. It considers three
aspects of development: real income per capita, adult literacy and life
expectancy.
● Each year the Human Development Report is published by the UN
in which the HDI is used to rank the level of development of each
country. In the report countries are categorized by their stage of
development in four groups: very high, high, medium and low.

● It uses average life expectancy, level of education and income to

measure development. Every country is given a score between 0
and 1, the closer to 1, the more developed a country is.
 Human Poverty Index

● Indicators of development are constantly being reviewed and

refined. In 1997 a new Human Poverty Index (HPI) was introduced
to measure the degree of poverty in a country and this was further
developed in 2010 to become the Multidimensional Poverty Index
(MPI) which uses ten indicators to measure the standard of living.
 MEASURING DEVELOPMENT

Aspects of daily life such as the role of women in

society, the right to vote, freedom of speech and a
nation's level of debt have also been considered
of importance in measuring development.
BACK TO INDIA’S
SPACE PROGRAMME!
BUT FIRST, MAKE A LIST
OF AS MANY
LIMITATIONS OF GDP PER
CAPITA!
Criticisms of GDP data as measurements of quality of life include:

1. GDP only measures

the output produced
and sold in legal
markets. It does not
include productive
activity that does not
have a market
transaction.
2. GDP does not consider how output contributes to the quality
of peopleʼs lives.

● It simply measures how much output a country produces. For

example, people who live in urban areas spend a portion of their
incomes on products to help them cope with urban problems.

● For example, urban residents buy more alarm systems for their
homes and cars, self-defense classes, and stress medication.
Some economists refer to these products as "bads" rather than
"goods".
Suppose you live in a rural area. If you move into the city,
you can change to a job that pays you $1000 more per
year. Suppose urban life causes you to spend $1000 per
year on things you did not need living in a rural
environment.

Even though your income is larger, has moving to the

city improved the quality of your life?
3. GDP does not measure the quality of the environment.

● A country might be able to increase its output (and

GDP) if it eases pollution regulations.

● Yet, having higher per capita real GDP might not mean
people have a better quality of life if the air, water, and
other resources are more polluted.
4. GDP does not consider how leisure contributes to the quality of life.

● A country could increase its output (and GDP) if its

people worked 12 hours per day, seven days per week.

● However, having more products might not mean

people are better off if they have no leisure time to
enjoy it.
Indicators of development
3.1 WHY IS INDIA’S
SPACE
PROGRAMME
BEING
CRITICISED?
“We can go to Mars but cannot provide clean water for our
people on Earth?” - Indian columnist and political writer

What does it say about India and poverty?

There is a large disparity in the population living in
poverty across the country. The four poorest states of
Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh
comprise 196 million poor people, over half the number
of poor people across the country.
DO THE CONSOLIDATING YOUR THINKING
EXERCISE ON SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA FROM
PAGE 42!
3.2 WHY DO
PEOPLE SUPPORT
INDIA’S SPACE
PROGRAMME?
India is often criticised for spending
money on space projects when
nearly a quarter of its population
live below its official poverty limit.

So why is India so keen on space?

Poverty First, Moon Next?
Four reasons India is going big on space.

1. Itʼs Cheap!

● Because of the technologically advanced world, India argues that the cost of the
latest launch was not huge by international standards.

● It cost about $5m (£3.87m).

● With an expected life span of 10 years, the operating cost per year is narrowed
down further - to a level that India's space industry claims is "very cheap".
Poverty First, Moon Next?

2.) Booming Industry -

● The United States, France and Russia hold nearly 75% of the
nearly $6bn (£4.6bn) satellite launch industry - one that is
increasingly lucrative (profitable and money-making).
Poverty First, Moon Next?

● In a multibillion dollar industry, India has just a share of just above 0.5% -
while China has 3% of the market, according to the Satellite Industry Association.

● In the past India was unable to lure customers for their satellite launches due to
its launch vehicle constraints, making the nation heavily dependent on France
for its launches.The rocket will reduce the Indian Space Research Organisation's
(Isro) reliance on European vehicles to launch heavy satellites.

● That is now a thing of the past.

Poverty First, Moon Next?

3.)Changing the market

● Most meteorological and communication satellites weigh nearly four tonnes

and that needs a massive rocket to launch them.

● With the latest launch, India has sent a strong message to the international
community that a low-cost alternative is available.
● It recently successfully launched 104 satellites of varying sizes in one go, enhancing
its credibility.
● Analysts say with its lower costs, India could become a hub for the growing satellite
launch industry.
● India has so far relied on other countries to send heavy satellites into space, which
is expensive and a drain on Isro's budget.
● The rocket is as heavy as five Jumbo jets. And the weight matters because
communication satellites are quite heavy.
● Experts say the rocket gives India more flexibility in launching different kinds of
satellites.
Poverty First, Moon Next?

4.)Encouraging others

● Millions in India still don't have access to clean drinking water, uninterrupted power
supply, toilet facilities, road and rail connectivity among others.
● But successive governments have argued that spending on science and technology leads
to all-round social development.
● India hopes it will encourage developing nations to use them for their launches rather
than the Western nations.
The rocket launched by India is said to be the weight of 200 fully grown elephants
INDIA’S BRAIN DRAIN?
● Outward migration or emigration by the highly-skilled and highly-qualified, to
migrate in search of better opportunities and quality of life.
● Brain drain is defined as the migration of health personnel in search of the
better standard of living and quality of life, access to advanced technology
and more stable political conditions in different places worldwide.

● Why do talented people leave their countries and go abroad?

● What are the consequences of such migrations especially on the educational
sector?
● What policies can be adopted to stem such movements from developing
countries to developed countries?
INDIA’S BRAIN DRAIN?
● Donor country: a country which provides aid to a developing country. (Sweden,
Switzerland, UK and US)
● Recipient country: A country that will benefit from this activity. (Benefits from the
brain drain professionals, how they contribute to the recipient country)
Why Does Brain Drain Occur?
Reassessing the Impacts of Brain Drain on Developing Countries
How satellite early warning systems have reduced
India’s vulnerability to potential natural disasters

The scale of destruction caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami pushed the
international community to develop the concept of ʻend-to-end, people-centered
earlyʼ warning systems. Its goal is to ensure that no one is left behind when disasters
strike. This video highlights the four key elements.
Elements of End-to-End, People-Centered Early Warning

Is India a space superpower? - BBC News

Bangalore: India's IT hub readies for the digital future

Is India’s space program worth the money?

Thinking back over your investigation so far, are you

inclined or disinclined to agree with Dr
Radhakrishnan when he says that ʻthe space
industry is touching the lives of every man and
woman in this countryʼ?
3.3 WHAT CAN INDIA
LEARN FROM THE
EXPERIENCE OF THE
USA’S SPACE
PROGRAMME?
BENEFITS OF SPACE EXPLORATION
What benefits does the space program provide to citizens?
NASA states that among the many spin-off technologies that have
come out of the space exploration program, there have been
notable advancements in the fields of health and medicine,
transportation, public safety, consumer goods, energy and
environment, information technology, and industrial
productivity.
BENEFITS OF SPACE EXPLORATION
Spinoff 2019: How NASA Technology Improves Life on Earth

5 NASA Spinoff Technologies That Have Changed Your Life |

Answers With Joe
APPLYING YOUR SKILLS!
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