Human Development

Human development is an approach to development that aims to enable an environment that strengthens human capabilities and allows people to enjoy long, healthy, and creative lives. Growth and Development refer to changes over some time. While growth looks at change from a quantitative perspective, development looks at the same change from a qualitative perspective. 

Growth

⮚     Growth is a quantitative change whose value is always neutral

⮚     Growth is a positive change that shows an increase

 Development

⮚     Under the human development approach, development refers to a change that brings improvement to the existing living condition

⮚     Positive growth does not necessarily result in development. Any positive change in the quality of life is deemed as development. For example, the growth of the IT sector in India has been exponential. However, when this growth isn’t accompanied by the overall increase in the quality of life in India, then that growth isn’t accompanied by development

Important aspects of development

There are several aspects to human development. Pakistani economist Mahbub-ul-Haqq and Indian economist Amartya Sen laid down the foundation and stipulated the most important aspects of development. Some of these aspects are-

⮚     Getting proper education

⮚     Maintaining a good standard of living

⮚     Leading a fulfilling, long, and healthy life

 Concepts of human development

⮚     Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haqq developed the concept of human development. Mahbub ul Haqq, in the 1970s, argued that the existing human progress was inadequate in accounting for the true purpose of development, which is improving people’s lives.

⮚     United Nations Development Programme defined human development “human development as expanding or increasing the richness of human life, then simply the richness of the economy in which humans live. The approach is focused on people and their opportunities and choices.”

⮚     The basic goal of development is to create an environment where people can afford to live meaningful lives. A meaningful life is a life where people can develop their talents, participate freely in society, and achieve their goals

⮚     The key areas of human development are access to education, healthcare, housing, and other resources

Four pillars of human development

1.     Equity

Equity in human development refers to providing equal opportunities available to people irrespective of their caste, race, gender, and socio-economic standing. For example, in India, most school dropouts are women and people from economically weaker sections of society. This displays the lack of access to basic amenities for marginalised people.

2. Sustainability

The textbook definition of sustainability defines it as our capacity to meet our own needs without compromising the ability to come or future generations to meet their needs. Sustainability in human development refers to judiciously and efficiently using the available resources so that future generations don’t experience a shortage.

3. Productivity

The third pillar of human development is productivity. It refers to human labor productivity that constantly evolves and improves a person’s capabilities. Better work efficiency is achieved by providing education, training, and healthcare facilities. 

4.Empowerment

Empowerment is the fourth and final pillar of human development. Many people believe that the cornerstone of development is empowering people. Empowerment in society can refer to people’s freedom to make their choices. The empowerment of economically weaker and socially marginalised groups can be achieved by good governance and people-oriented policies.

Measuring human development

⮚     The human development Index was created by economist Mahbub ul Haqq. The index ranks countries into four tiers of human development based on the life expectancy index, education index, and income index

⮚     The United Nations Development Programme, in 2010, started using a new method to calculate the human development Index. The three indices that used to calculate HDI are- Life expectancy index, the Education Index (mean years of schooling as well as expected years of schooling), and the income index

⮚    The human development Report in 2011 propounded that environmental degradation and climate change will exacerbate societal inequalities

⮚     Each of the aforementioned dimensions is 1/3rd weightage

⮚     The countries are ranked based on a score between 0 to 1. For example, country A scores 0.98, and country B scores 0.75. Therefore, country A will be ranked higher because the score is closer to 1

Human Poverty Index

⮚     Human Poverty Index was introduced in 1997

⮚     The index measures three components of deprivation in a country. These are- life expectancy (longevity), adult literacy rate, and standard of living

⮚     There are two separate indices under HPI. These are HPI-1, which measures poverty in developing countries, and HPI-2, which measures poverty in OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries

International Comparisons

⮚     Observing the size and per capita income of a country does not relate to human development

⮚     Frequently smaller countries are ranked higher than richer countries in the case of human development

⮚     International comparisons are a human development indicator that assesses a country’s growth and development about other countries

 Levels of human development

There are three levels of human development. Countries are divided into high-level development groups, medium-level development groups, and lower-level development groups.

•  High-level Development Groups

Countries that rank higher in the human development Index belong to this development group. These countries are ranked higher because they have invested in priority sectors like education and healthcare. And developing social sector infrastructure is an important priority for the governments of these countries. There is a notably higher investment in providing good governance to people. Examples of such countries are- Norway, Ireland, Iceland, Switzerland, Germany, and Sweden.

•  Medium Development Groups

There are at least 40 countries at the medium level of human development. Most of these countries formed after the Second World War. Many of these countries were either colonised or were formed after the Soviet Union dissolved.These countries rank higher in the HDI when it comes to social diversity. Many of the countries in this development group have struggled with socio-political and economic instability. Examples of medium-level development groups are- Brazil, Mexico, India, Tunisia, Vietnam, and Morocco. 

•   Lower Development Groups

40 countries are part of the lower-level development group. These are smaller countries that are going through socio-political instability. Many of these countries are either in the middle of a civil war, famine, or drought. Examples of lower-level development groups are- Sudan, Liberia, Afghanistan, Syria, and Pakistan.

Steps to improve conditions of countries

The cornerstone of equitable and sustainable growth and development is good governance and effective policymaking. The following are some steps to improve conditions in countries-

⮚    Countries can support development by investing in social infrastructure, making education and jobs more accessible to the poor, and raising living standards. When assigning a rank to a country, the human development index considers its political stability. As a result, if the political environment is stable, countries may focus on growth and development.

⮚     A country can improve its conditions by ensuring equitable distribution of its resources

⮚     A country can also improve its development index ranking by increasing welfare expenditure

Conclusion: 

Human development is a branch of psychology that seeks to understand people — how they develop, grow, and change over the course of their lives. This discipline is broad, and it can help people better understand themselves and their relationships. As a result, it can be applied in a variety of professional settings and career paths.