Knowledge Organiser: The Development Gap
Key Terms
- Development gap — difference in quality of life between richest and poorest countries
- HDI — composite measure: income + life expectancy + education (0–1)
- GNI per capita — average income; hides inequality
- IMR — infant mortality rate; deaths per 1,000 live births
- LIDC — Low-Income Developing Country (Ethiopia)
- NEE — Newly Emerging Economy (Nigeria)
- Cycle of poverty — self-reinforcing trap: low income → low education → low productivity
- Tied aid — aid requiring spending on donor country goods
- Fair trade — guaranteed minimum price + social premium
- FDI — foreign direct investment; e.g. Chinese investment in Ethiopia
- HIPC — debt cancellation programme; $1.9bn cancelled for Ethiopia, 2004
Ethiopia Key Facts (LIDC)
- East Africa, landlocked, 120 million people, capital Addis Ababa
- HDI: 0.497; GNI per capita: ~$1,000; Life expectancy: 67
- Infant mortality: 38 per 1,000; ~68% below $3.20/day; literacy ~51%
- Birthplace of coffee; 12 million depend on coffee farming
- Never colonised — rare exception in Africa
- Addis Ababa Light Rail opened 2015 (first sub-Saharan metro)
- GDP grew 9–10%/year 2004–2019; Chinese investment ~$12bn
- Tigray conflict 2020–2022: 300,000–500,000 deaths; reversed years of progress
- HIPC debt relief: $1.9 billion cancelled, 2004
- Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam — 5,150 MW, largest in Africa when complete
LIDC vs NEE vs HIC
- Ethiopia (LIDC): HDI 0.497 | GNI $1,000 | LE 67 | IMR 38
- Nigeria (NEE): HDI 0.560 | GNI $2,000 | LE 54 | IMR 55
- Brazil (NEE): HDI 0.786 | GNI $14,000 | LE 76 | IMR 13
- UK (HIC): HDI 0.946 | GNI $46,000 | LE 81 | IMR 4
Strategies — Evidence and Limitations
- Aid: saves lives in emergencies; tied aid reduces effectiveness; dependency risk
- Fair trade: Fairtrade minimum $1.40/lb; protects from crashes; tiny % of farmers
- FDI (China): Addis Ababa light rail, Djibouti railway; increases debt, profits leave
- Debt relief (HIPC): $1.9bn cancelled for Ethiopia (2004); frees spending; doesn't fix trade patterns
- CHILD causes: Conflict, History, Infrastructure, Low prices, Disease
- Level 3 answers: Name strategy + evidence + limitation + comparative judgement
Common Mistakes
- Using GNI per capita as the only measure: GNI hides inequality within a country — always mention HDI (combining income, life expectancy and education) as a more complete development measure
- Saying aid always helps development: Tied aid (spending restricted to donor country goods) reduces effectiveness; long-term aid can create dependency — always evaluate limitations alongside benefits
- Ignoring the causes of the development gap: Use the CHILD framework (Conflict, History, Infrastructure, Low commodity prices, Disease) to explain WHY countries remain poor — list causes, don't just describe the gap
- Not naming Ethiopia with specific data: Vague LIDC answers lose marks — use specific statistics (HDI 0.497, GNI ~$1,000, 12 million coffee farmers, Tigray conflict 2020–2022 reversing years of progress)
Memory Aid
- LIDC = Low-Income Developing Country (Ethiopia, Chad, Niger) — lowest HDI, largely agricultural, most dependent on aid
- NEE = Newly Emerging Economy (Nigeria, India, Brazil, China) — rapidly industrialising, growing middle class, significant manufacturing
- HIC = High-Income Country (UK, Germany, Japan, USA) — post-industrial, service-led, high HDI