Key Idea: This topic is how development actually works: how we measure it (HDI, Gini…), the factors that drive or block it (economic, political, social, environmental), and the big contexts — trade, aid, debt, climate, food, water and energy security. The exam skill: explain why some countries develop and others don't, and what really helps.
📚 The micros at a glance
The building blocks
- 3.3.1 Measuring — GDP vs HDI, HPI, MPI, Gini, Happy Planet — measure human development, not just money.
- 3.3.2–3.3.4 Factors — Economic (trade, investment, resources), political & institutional (governance, corruption), social & environmental (gender, migration, climate).
- 3.3.5–3.3.7 Trade / Aid / Debt — Trade can drive or trap; aid can help or create dependency; debt can fund or crush — all depend on terms.
- 3.3.8–3.3.11 Security — Climate (hits the poorest), food (access not just supply), water (conflict or cooperation), energy (development + power).
⚖️ The recurring debates
- Economic factors (trade, FDI)
- Political factors (governance)
- Judge: they interact
- Can help OR harm
- Depends on the terms
- Judge: fair terms + governance
- Climate hits the poorest
- Food/water/energy are political
- Judge: just, sustainable development
Discuss the view that political factors matter more than economic factors for development.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
The 15-mark markband (Paper 2)
Bands 1–6
Mostly descriptive; perspectives <strong>not identified</strong>.
avoid
Bands 7–9
Clear knowledge, but perspectives <strong>identified, not explored</strong>.
7–9
Bands 10–12
Well-supported argument; perspectives <strong>explored</strong>.
10–12
Bands 13–15
Balanced, compelling; perspectives <strong>explored AND evaluated</strong>.
13–15
Important: Reciting factors as a list. Examiners reward students who show factors <strong>interact</strong> (governance shapes whether trade/aid/resources help) and that trade, aid and debt <strong>depend on the terms</strong> — never simply good or bad.
Answer in your head first, then tap to reveal.
Why measure development beyond GDP? GDP ignores health, education, distribution and sustainability; measures like HDI, MPI and Gini capture human development and inequality that money alone misses.
Do trade, aid and debt help or harm? All three can do either — trade can drive growth or trap raw exporters, aid can build capacity or create dependency, debt can fund investment or crush a budget. It depends on the terms and governance.
Why is climate change a development issue? It destroys livelihoods and hits the poorest hardest — those who did least to cause it — undoing development gains and raising the question of who should pay (climate justice).
Why is hunger often about access, not supply? The world grows enough food, so most hunger comes from poverty, conflict, prices and distribution — access failures — not a global shortage.
What decides whether a country develops? An interaction of economic factors (trade, investment, resources) and political/institutional factors (governance, stability), plus social and environmental conditions — not any single factor.
Exam tips
- Measure development with HDI/MPI/Gini, not just GDP.
- Show factors INTERACT — don't just list them.
- Trade/aid/debt: depends on the terms and governance.
- Climate/food/water/energy are political, not just technical.