WJEC​ ​(Wales)​ ​Economics​ ​A-level

Trade Development

Topic​ ​1:​ Global Economics

1.3 Economic development

Notes

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Economic growth occurs when there is a rise in the value of Gross Domestic Product
(GDP).
GDP measures the quantity of goods and services produced in an economy. In other
words, a rise in economic growth means there has been an increase in national
output.
Economic growth leads to higher living standards and more employment
opportunities.
Real GDP is the value of GDP adjusted for inflation. For example, if the economy
grew by 4% since last year, but inflation was 2%, real economic growth was 2%.
Nominal GDP is the value of GDP without being adjusted for inflation. In the above
example, nominal economic growth is 4%. This is misleading, because it can make
GDP appear higher than it really is.
Total GDP is the combined monetary value of all goods and services produced within
a country’s borders during a specific time period.
GDP per capita is the value of total GDP divided by the population of the country.
Capita is another word for ‘head’, so it essentially measures the average output per
person in an economy. This is useful for comparing the relative performance of
countries.

National income can also be measured by:

o Gross National Product (GNP) is the market value of all products produced in
an annum by the labour and property supplied by the citizens of one country.
It includes GDP plus income earned from overseas assets minus income
earned by overseas residents. GDP is within a country’s borders, whilst GNP
includes products produced by citizens of a country, whether inside the
border or not.
o Gross National Income (GNI) is the sum of value added by all producers who
reside in a nation, plus product taxes (subtract subsidies) not included in the
value of output, plus receipts of primary income from abroad (this is the
compensation of employees and property income).

Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)

This is a theory that estimates how much the exchange rate needs adjusting so that
an exchange between countries is equivalent, according to each currency’s
purchasing power. For example, if a car cost £15,000 and the exchange rate between
the UK and the US is 1.5 £ per $, then in the US, the car should cost $10,000. This

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means both cars cost the same number of US dollars, and the same number of
pounds Sterling.
This helps to minimise misleading comparisons between countries.

The limitations of using GDP to compare living standards between

countries over time

GDP does not give any indication of the distribution of income. Therefore, two
countries with similar GDPs per capita may have different distributions which lead to
different living standards in the country.
GDP may need to be recalculated in terms of purchasing power, so that it can
account for international price differences. The purchasing power is determined by
the cost of living in each country, and the inflation rate.
There are also large hidden economies, such as the black market, which are not
accounted for in GDP. This can make GDP comparisons misleading and difficult to
compare.
GDP gives no indication of welfare. Other measures, such as the happiness index,
might be used to compare living standards instead or in conjunction with GDP.

Economic development

Economic growth is the increase in a country’s real national output. This is caused by
increases in the quality or quantity of factors of production, which cause an outward
shift in the PPF.

Economic development refers to living standards, freedom (from oppression) and

life expectancy. Essentially, it covers a more moral side to economic growth and it is
normative. Development is also concerned with how sustainable the economy is and
whether the needs of future generations can be met.

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Possible measures of economic development

The relationship between economic growth, changes in the structure of an

economy and sustainable development

The primary sector of an economy covers the extraction of raw materials, such as
precious metals, wheat and coal. A large primary sector indicates reliance on the
agricultural market.
The secondary sector is largely manufacturing, where raw materials are made into
goods. For example, cotton is made into clothes in the secondary sector. A large
secondary sector indicates the economy is reliant on manufacturing. Emerging
markets, such as China and India have large secondary sectors.
The tertiary sector is the supply of services, such as finance and restaurants.
Developed countries have large tertiary sectors.

The Lewis model is an explanation of how a developing country which focuses on

agriculture could move towards manufacturing.

It is based on the assumption that in agriculture, there is a surplus of unproductive

labour in developing economies. The model assumes that in the manufacturing
sector, wages are fixed. Workers from agriculture are attracted to the higher wages
in the manufacturing sector.

In the manufacturing sector, entrepreneurs charge prices above the wage rate,
which allows them to make profits. It is assumed these profits are invested into
more fixed capital for the business.

The demand for labour increases since the productive capacity of firms has
increased. Since there is surplus labour in the agricultural sector, this labour is
employed in the manufacturing sector.

This grows the manufacturing sector to the extent that the economy moves from
agriculture to manufacturing. This is from a traditional state to an industrialised
state.

However, in reality, profits might not be reinvested into the firm. Moreover, the
capital investment might replace labour, so the demand for labour could fall instead.
Also, it is not always easy for labour in the agricultural sector to move to the
manufacturing sector.

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The three dimensions of the Human Development Index (HDI)

The components of HDI are education, life expectancy and standard of living,
measured by real GNI at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita.

It measures economic and social welfare of countries over time.

The education component combines the statistics of the mean number of years of
schooling and the expected years of schooling.

The lift expectancy component uses a life expectancy range of 25 to 85 years.

The standard of living component measures GNI adjusted to PPP per capita. GDP was
used instead of GNI, but to account for remittances and foreign aid, GNI is now used,
since it reflects average income per person.

The average world HDI rose from 0.48 in 1970 to 0.68 in 2010. This was mainly due
to the growth of East Asia, the Pacific and South Asia.

A value close to 1 is indicative of a high level of economic development. A value

close to 0 suggests a low level of development.

The advantages and limitations of using the HDI to compare levels of development
between countries and over time

HDI does not consider how free people are politically, their human rights, gender
equality or people’s cultural identity.

HDI does not take the environment into account. It could be argued that this should
be included to focus on human development more.

HDI does not consider the distribution of income. A country could have a high HDI
but be very unequal. This can mean many people might still be in poverty.

HDI does allow for comparisons between countries to be made, based upon which
countries are generally more developed than other countries.

It provides a much broader comparison between countries than GDP does.

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Education and health are important development factors to consider, and it can
provide information about the country’s infrastructure and opportunities. It also
shows how successful government policies have been.

Other indicators of development

Human Poverty Index (HPI): measures life expectancy, education and the ability of
citizens to meet basic needs. There are two types: HPI-1 and HPI-2. The former
measures poverty in developing countries and the latter measures poverty in
developed countries.

In HPI-1, the longevity part of the index measures the probability of living to the age
of 40. The education component considers the adult literacy rate. The ability of
citizens to meet basic needs is measured by the percentage of underweight children
and the percentage of people not using improved water sources.

For HPI-2, the probability of not surviving to at least the age of 60 is used. The
percentage of adults which do not have literacy skills is calculated, and poverty is
calculated by those living below the poverty line. This is below 50% of median
income.

Gender-related Development Index (GDI): measures the relative inequality between

men and women. It combines HDI with a consideration of gender. For example, it
will consider differences in life expectancies, income and education between
genders.

More indirect indicators:

o The United Nations has eight Millennium Development Goals. These are to:

o Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty

o Achieve universal primary education
o Promote gender equality and empower women
o Reduce child mortality
o Improve maternal health
o Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
o Ensure environmental sustainability
o Develop a global partnership for development

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The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) was to half the number in extreme poverty and
hunger by 2015. To date, this goal has been met, since the proportion of people in poverty
has halved, around 90% of children now have primary education (compared to about 80%
before) and almost 90% of people have access to improved water sources.

Access to health, education, the internet and mobile phone usage

Additionally, development can be measured using the proportion that has access to health,
education, the internet and mobile phones.

Life expectancy can be used to give information about education and health. For example,
Malawi has a life expectancy below the world average, which is closely linked to poor access to clean
water (and other sanitation).

780m people in the world do not have access to clean water. This is an important indicator, since it is
related to life expectancy and it is indicative of the quality of infrastructure in the country.

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Barriers to growth and development

Primary product dependency

Primary products are raw materials in industries such as agriculture, mining and
forestry. Mining accounts for just over 60% of South Africa’s exports. Their ability to
pay foreign debts and for imports relies on this.

Several developing countries rely on these primary products as a significant part of

their economy. One issue with this is the volatility of commodity prices that can
make it hard for workers to plan for the future, and it means incomes of farmers are
fickle and hard to predict.

A fall in the price leads to a fall in export incomes, which can make it hard to fund
their infrastructure and education. Moreover, relying on primary products is not
necessarily sustainable, since they could be over extracted and run out.

Savings gap: Harrod-Domar model

In many developing countries, there is only limited wealth, which means money
cannot be put aside for the future, and they can only afford to spend in the short
run. Consumers have to focus on their immediate needs, including food and safe
water, to ensure they can survive. Without sufficient savings, there is inadequate
capital accumulation.

Africa’s saving rate is around 17%, whilst the average for middle income countries is
around 31%. This makes it more expensive for the African public and private sectors
to get funds since they have higher borrowing costs. This impedes capital
investment.

The Harrod-Domar model states that investment, saving and technological change
are required in an economy for economic growth. The rate of growth increases if the
savings ratio increases. This leads to increased investment and technological
progress, which leads to higher productivity.

The rate of growth is calculated by the savings ratio / capital output ratio in the
Harrod-Domar model. Growth increases with more saving or a small capital output
ratio.

The limitations of the model are that there is a low marginal propensity to save in
some countries, or that there might be a poor financial system. Funds might not lead
to borrowing and investment. There could also be inefficiency in the workforce.

Moreover, the paradox of thrift could be considered. An increase in savings could

lead to an increase in investment. However, an increase in savings means there is a
reduction in spending, which leads to a fall AD.

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Foreign currency gap

A foreign currency gap exists when the country is not attracting sufficient capital
flows to make up for a deficit in the capital account on the balance of payments. In
other words, the value of the current account deficit is larger than the value of
capital inflows.

Capital flight

This is when capital and money leave the economy through investment in foreign
economies.

It is triggered by an economic threat, such as hyperinflation or rising tax rates. It can

worsen an economic crisis and cause a currency to depreciate.

Demographic factors

The population can impact the growth and development of a country. There is a link
between keeping birth rates down and fighting hunger, poverty and environmental
damage. Rapid population growth has complicated efforts to reduce poverty and
eliminate hunger in Africa. The current population of 1.1 billion is expected to
double by 2050, which is not sustainable.

Debt

The debt crisis emerging in the developing world threatens the fight against poverty
and inequality.

Access to credit and banking

Without a safe, secure and stable banking system, there is unlikely to be a lot of
saving in a country.

Infrastructure

Poor infrastructure discourages MNCs from setting up premises in the country. This
is since production costs increase where basic infrastructure, such as a continuous
supply of electricity, is not available.

Education/skills

This is important for developing human capital. Adequate human capital ensures the
economy can be productive and produce goods and services of a high quality. It
helps generate employment and raise standards of living.

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Absence of property rights

Weak or absent property rights mean entrepreneurs cannot protect their ideas, so
do not have an incentive to innovate.

Corruption

In sub-Saharan Africa, the money lost from corruption could pay for the education of
10 million children per year in developing countries.

Poor governance/civil war

This could hold back infrastructure development and is a constraint on future

economic development. It could destroy current infrastructure and force people into
poverty.

Vulnerability to external shocks

For example, an earthquake prone country is likely to find it hard to develop their
infrastructure, and people might be pushed into poverty. Nepal was already one of
the poorest countries in the world, but the Nepal earthquake in 2015 pushed more
people into poverty.

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Raising the level of economic development

o Trade liberalisation

Free trade is the act of trading between nations without protectionist

barriers, such as tariffs, quotas or regulations. World GDP can be increased
using free trade, since output increases when countries specialise. Therefore,
living standards might increase and there could be more economic growth.

o Promotion of FDI

FDI is the flow of capital from one country to another, in order to gain a
lasting interest in an enterprise in the foreign country.

FDI can help create employment, encourage the innovation of technology

and help promote long term sustainable growth. It provides LEDCs with funds
to invest and develop.

o Microfinance schemes

Microfinance involves borrowing small amounts of money from lenders to

finance enterprises. It increases the incomes of those who borrow, and can
reduce their dependency on primary products. There could be a multiplier
effect from the investment of the loan.

They are small loans for usually unbankable people. It allows them to break
away from aid and gives borrowers financial independence. In Bangladesh,
95% of microfinance cohorts are women.

Microfinance loans detach the poor from high interest, exploitative loan
sharks. They could help businesses to be set up, although the money could
also be spent on immediate consumption, rather than investment. Since the
money goes directly to SMEs, it can stimulate employment.

However, the data collected on microfinance loans might not be reliable if

there is dishonesty regarding where the money was spent.

In Tamil Nadu, India, less than 2% of microenterprises were still operating

after their establishment.

Microfinance loans have high repayment rates.

o Privatisation

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 This means that assets are transferred from the public sector to the private
sector. In other words, the government sells a firm so that it is no longer in
their control. The firm is left to the free market and private individuals.

Free market economists will argue that the private sector gives firms
incentives to operate efficiently, which increases economic welfare. This is
because firms operating on the free market have a profit incentive, which
firms which are nationalised do not.

Since they are operating on the free market, firms also have to produces the
goods and services consumers want. This increases allocative efficiency and
might mean goods and services are of a higher quality.

By selling the asset, revenue is raised for the government. However, this is
only a one-off payment.

o Development of human capital

By developing human capital, the skills base in the economy would improve.
This would improve productivity and allow more advanced technology to be
used, since workers will have the necessary skills.

Businesses struggle to expand where there are skills shortages. It also limits
innovation.

Primary school enrolment has increased from about 80% to around 90% of
children. However, secondary and tertiary education enrolment is still low.

By developing human capital, the country can move their production up the
supply chain from primary products, to manufactured goods and to services,
which can earn them more.

o Infrastructure development

Examples of physical infrastructure include transport, energy, water and

telecommunications.

Higher supply costs delay businesses and it reduces the mobility of labour.

For example, India’s poor irrigation system makes it difficult to sustain food
grain production if there is low rainfall. It hurts the poorest communities and
it leads to rising food prices. There are also regular power cuts. The lack of a
continuous supply of electricity affects transport, communication and
healthcare. It is estimated that $400 billion needs to be invested in power to
meet the development goals.

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 The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is led by China and it funds
Asian energy, transport and infrastructure. The UK is one of the founding
members, along with Germany, Australia and South Korea. The UK’s
involvement should give British firms an opportunity to invest in fast growing
economies.

Infrastructure development is a top priority for the Chinese government.

From the late 1990s to 2005, 100 million Chinese people benefited from
improved power and telecommunications. Employment can be boosted with
improved roads, railways and airport constructions. However, some remote
areas still have non-mechanised means of transport.

Some economists argue that the development gap between China and other
emerging economies is due to its focus on infrastructure projects. China
invested 9% of their GDP in infrastructure in the 1990s and 2000s, whilst
most emerging economies only invested around 2%-5% of GDP.

China has the first and only high speed Maglev train system in the world
between the city centre in Shanghai and its international airport. Some
economists might argue that is it unnecessary to build more airports, since
there are already almost 200 airports in China and about 80% of people live
within 100km of an airport in China. There is an opportunity cost of not
investing funds elsewhere.

More information on the AIIB can be found here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31867934
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31921011

o Development of tourism

Tourism can create thousands of jobs and help shift a developing country
away from dependency on primary products. Developing countries tend to
have a marginal propensity to consume, which could create a multiplier
effect.

It helps to diversify the economy and it could make the country more
attractive to FDI, as well as developing their infrastructure.

Tourism accounts for 6% of world trade and 9% of global GDP. For LDCs,
about 8% of exports are from tourism. It is one of the largest and fastest
growing sectors in the world. Since it is an outward-looking policy, it is
considered a more modern way to grow an economy, and the benefits are
similar to those of free trade.

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 Tourism can also be a way of earning foreign currency for developing
countries. The low technology and labour intensive work in tourism is suited
to LDCs.

However, little revenue is retained in the country, since travel agents and
hotel owners are likely to repatriate their profits. Moreover, there is the issue
of overcrowding and the loss of habitats.

Income from tourism is likely to be unstable, since it relies heavily on the

business cycle in developed countries.

Investing in tourism can be risky and expensive, however. States have to

focus where tourism is attracted, such as transport, land availability and
improving infrastructure.

Locals could feel stigmatised by tourism, especially if they cannot afford the
luxuries that the tourists have. There could also be some environmental
damage, such as pollution.

Sri Lanka is trying to develop its tourism industry by building more hotels. It is
expected that $1 billion of revenue could be made. It requires very good
infrastructure, such as roads and electricity.

o Development of primary industries

Some developing countries have an abundance of raw materials, so some

governments might choose to exploit this advantage and develop the
industry so the country can have a comparative advantage in its production.

Moreover, primary industries, especially those allied to farming, form the

livelihoods of the bulk of the population. It is sometimes the only source of
income for most families. Therefore, it is important that the industry is
supported.

o Fairtrade schemes

Fairtrade schemes ensure that farmers can receive a fair price for their
goods. Supermarkets buy a guaranteed quantity at a price above the market
equilibrium. This helps farmers since they have a guaranteed income and
certainty about their sales, so they can plan for the future.

Fairtrade can help support community development and social projects, as

well as ensuring working conditions meet a minimum standard.

It encourages sustainable production, promotes environmental protection,

and stops the use of child labour.

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 Critics say the impact of Fairtrade schemes is insignificant. They argue that
Fairtrade is simply a psychological influence on consumers in developed
countries, who believe they are helping by buying Fairtrade goods. Fairtrade
could distract from other policies and development, and it could make
producers not part of Fairtrade worse off. This is since it divides the market
into Fairtrade and non-Fairtrade markets. It could be argued that by
distorting price signals, Fairtrade is less efficient.

Fairtrade increases the price of goods such as Cocoa and bananas. This
encourages farmers to produce more, which increases their supply. The
Fairtrade farmers still get their minimum price, but those not on Fairtrade
have to deal with a lower market equilibrium price, due to the increase in
supply.

Fairtrade could make farmers reliant on the sale of their produce, but it
promotes self-sufficiency and encourages them to be independent. It has its
limitations, but it provides a sense of community, working with farmers,
rather than for them.

o Aid

Africa has been a top recipient of Chinese aid. By the end of 2009, it received
45.7% of China’s cumulative foreign aid. It is important as a policy instrument
for China with engagement with Africa.

Consumers in LEDCs have a higher propensity to consume than save, due to

their limited incomes. Capital inflows, including those in the form of aid, can
help fill this savings gap.

Aid provides temporary assistance to a country, such as humanitarian aid

offered to countries after conflicts or natural disasters. Aid could also be a
grant for a project that a country might not have the funds for.

Aid could be used to reduce human capital inadequacies or to pay off debt. It
can improve infrastructure, which can help make the country more
productive.

However, the benefits of aid are limited by corrupt leaders, the size of the aid
payment and the potential for the recipient country to become dependent on
aid.

Dambisa Moyo and Jeffrey Sachs are two prominent economists who have
looked at the effects of foreign aid. Dambisa Moyo is generally against aid,
whilst Jeffrey Sachs is generally pro-aid. It is worthwhile to have a look at
some of their research and ideas. To briefly summarise, two of Moyo’s
arguments are that corruption means aid does not go where it is intended
and that dumping goods, such as mosquito nets, into a country means private

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 firms cannot compete and are forced out of business. Sachs suggests that it is
possible for rich countries to meet the UN MDG of investing 0.7% of GDP into
developing countries, which can help them improve infrastructure, yet this
target is not being met.

o Debt relief

Debt relief is the partial or total forgiveness of debt.

In developing countries, debt is considered to be a principal cause of poverty,

since it causes human suffering and misery, and it hampers development.

With high levels of debt, financial resources are diverted from infrastructure,
education and healthcare. The country’s ability to pay the debt, not the size,
is most important. If a country defaults on its debt, it can make it hard to
borrow more money in the future.

Debt forgiveness can allow a country to import more and increase the
population’s standard of living. It improves government finances, so public
services could be funded instead.

However, if debt is forgiven, it could encourage more borrowing in the

future. Moreover, there could be corruption.

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