Geographies of Development: Towards Global Equity?

Geographers have always been interested in the spatial patterns that occur in our world at a variety of scales, from the local to global. Of particular interest are the enormous variations in the quality of life experienced by people living in different parts of the world. You only have to watch the evening news to realise the extent to which people in different parts of the world have unequal access to resources of all kinds. In attempting understand and explain these differences, countries have often been classified as either 'developed' or developing' (although you will soon see that these terms are not easy to define.) In completing this topic toy will consider a range of ideas about what 'development' means, and examine spatial variations in living standards of people throughout the world. (Compare figures 2.5.1 and 2.5.2, p. 411.) As well, you will think about how spatial variations in development can be measured. Most importantly, this topic will help you to explore the underlying factors that give rise to global inequity and the differential living standards experienced by people in the various parts of our world. We will see that the forces that contribute to different types and rates of development are complex and interrelated.