Part A. Development Opportunities

Conceptual Understanding

Key Question: How do we support the processes of human development?

The multidimensional process of human development and ways to measure it:

• UN Sustainable Development Goals criteria
• validity and reliability of development indicators and indices, including the human development index (HDI) and gender inequality index (GII)
• empowering women and indigenous or minority groups

Detailed illustrative examples of affirmative action to close the development gap

The importance of social entrepreneurship approaches for human development:
• the work of microfinance organizations and their networks
• alternative trading networks such as “Fairtrade”
• TNC corporate social responsibility frameworks and global agreements

Synthesis, evaluation and skills opportunities

How actions to support human development involve spatial interactions from local to global scales

Wednesday 13 March 2024

Human Development, The Human Development Index (HDI) and The Gender Inequality Index (GII)

Starter: What is Human Development?

Task 1. SDG’s Recap

Study the image above. ​Which of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) do you think are the most important for society to focus on in order to achieve the most progress toward sustainable development?

Please choose three goals in order of importance and explain your reasoning.  

The Human Development Index (HDI)

Task 2.

Watch the video below and use this worksheet to complete the activities set out. 

To find examples of countries at differing levels of human development, click on this link to be taken to the Wikipedia page. 

Gender Inequality Index (GII)

The Gender Inequality Index (GII) reflects gender-based disadvantage in three dimensions:

  • reproductive health
  • empowerment
  • the labour market

​It does this for as many countries as data of reasonable quality allow. It shows the loss in potential human development due to inequality between female and male achievements in these dimensions.

​It ranges from
0 – where women and men fare equally, to
​1 – where one gender fares as poorly as possible in all measured dimensions. 

Task 3. Using this worksheet and this link, complete the first two activities set out. 


Study the map above, this World Economic Forum map and this source

Task 4. Using both sources above, complete the associated task on the worksheet. 

Task 5. Complete the exam style questions on the worksheet

Task 6. Using this link, make a note of the limitations of the GII index as a composite measure of development on your worksheet. 

Thursday 14 March 2024

Affirmative action to close the development gap...

Use the three resources below, and your own research, to make notes on affirmative actions taken to close the development gap. We focus on empowerment of indigenous groups in Bolivia, education for girls in Morocco and the history of the LGBTQ+ movement in the USA. 

Make sure you make very clear the link to the closing of the development gap. How can you quantify what indigenous rights, education for girls and LBGT rights bring to a country in terms of improved development. 

Use this note taking sheet to help you to focus your research. 

Empowering Indigenous Women…

Educating Girls in Morocco

LGBTQ+ Rights Movement

Homework: Complete the Check Your Understanding Questions on page 582.

Due: April 2024