Keys for Poverty Reduction - Assignment Example

‘Development’ means different things to different people. Describe what you consider to be the key meanings and what implications they have for poverty reduction. Introduction Development has a lot of definitions from different individuals since people see development in different ways. Development has different meanings because people view development in terms of the indicators of development. No matter how an individual sees development, improvement of the various forms of development indicators marks development. This assignment will look at the different meanings of development and the implications they have on poverty reduction. The indicators of development will be used in discussing various meanings of development. Such indicators include good governance, health, education, inequality, employment, safety and security, and economic growth and transformations. The key meanings of development and implications they have for poverty reduction According to some individuals, providential governance implies development. As an indicator of development, providential governance leads to the development. Good governance entails the process by which public institutions conduct all the public affairs and manage public resources, without abuse and corruption, and in fulfilment of rule of law. The concept of quality governance has key attributes such as responsibility, accountability, transparency and serves the needs of the public (Morgan 1995, p. 54). Good governance reinforces human rights. Good governance and human rights interact in areas such as democratic institutions, service delivery, rule of law, and anti-corruption. Hence, where there is proper governance, there are developments. Good governance helps in poverty reduction. In cases where there is sound governance, there is proper and effective policy formulation. Good governance eradicates issues of corruption in the public institution, which makes the institutions efficient in the allocation of resources. This implies that; good governance will ensure eradication of poverty through efficient resource allocation. Policies geared towards mitigating poverty will be enforced, in countries that have strong governance. In addition, due to strong governance, the human rights watch of a country will be active, leading to poverty reduction (Shields 2007, p. 53). Health is one of the development indicators; with quality health, a country can be ranked as developed. Hence, health can be used to mark development. Health relates to human rights in that; human rights promote quality health. Human rights institutions help in implementation of policies that support quality health. Such policies can be geared towards offering free medical services in public hospitals, acquisition of upgraded equipments in hospitals, and building of health facilities (Herrick 1983, p. 66). Through implementation of these policies, provision of health services gains improvement leading to the development. Good health reduces poverty; with good health, people become more productive than with poor health. Individuals cannot work when they are not healthy. Hence, quality health increases productivity of individuals, reducing their levels of poverty (Ezeala-Harrison 1996, p. 17. Education is another indicator of development. The levels of literacy rate in a country determine how the country is developed. Countries with low literacy rates are less developed than countries with high levels of literacy rate. In countries where the levels of literacy rate are low, there are high levels of poverty (Cipher 2008, p.34). This is due to lack of knowledge in the production process. It may be remarkably cumbersome to offer what a person does not have; similarly, it is not possible to apply knowledge, in the production process, if one does not have the knowledge. One must be educated so as to know what knowledge to apply in the production process. Institutions cannot be run by individuals who are not educated; there would be a total failure in the performance of duties (Shields 2007, p. 56). Hence, it is essential to have high literacy rates for development purposes. Education reduces poverty since it increases productivity through proper running of projects in a country. Poverty is also reduced through proper implementation of poverty reduction schemes, which can only be effective when, ran by educated individuals. Hence, high education levels have an effect of poverty reduction. Ezeala-Harrison (1996, p. 18) observes that the level of equality in a country determines how a country is developed. Therefore, high levels of equality translate to development. Economists argue that, in circumstances where there are high levels of inequality, there are fewer developments than in cases where there are low levels of inequality. Public resources should be allotted and distributed equally among the citizens of a country. This promotes development in the country. High rates of inequality hinder development in a country through the creation of distinct groups. For example, if there are high rates of inequality in a country, there emerge two classes of folks, the rich and the poor. In order to eliminate an existence of such classes, equality should be emphasized in the allocation and distribution of resources. High level of equality has an impact of reducing poverty since it enhances fair and equal allotment and distribution of public resources, which ensures equal developments and productivity. Employment is a factor that has considerations on development. Hence, it is possible to link employment with development. In determining the rate of employment in a country, underemployment and unemployment levels are put into considerations. It is argued that, high rates of employment enhance development while low rates of employment hinder development (Rao 1985, p. 23). High employment rate implies that most of the population in a country is employed, leaving a small percentage being unemployed. On the other hand, low level of employment implies that most of the population in a country is unemployed, with an extremely small percentage being employed. High employment rates reduce poverty since most people are capable of affording basic commodities. Hence, through high levels of employment, there is reduced poverty (Cipher 2008, p. 35). Development may also be distinct in terms of safety and security. Security is one of the factors that influence the amount of production in an area. In areas where there is insecurity, production is lower than areas with security. People will always be productive in areas that they feel they are safe and secure. Hence, development can only be experienced where there is enough security. Areas, which are not safe and secure, experience low production leading to poor development (Galbraith 1994, p. 98). Production stimulates development; therefore, if there is low production, development will be low, but when production is high, the development is high. Where production is low, provision of commodities to individuals in an area can be limited. This leads to poverty in the area. In such areas, insecurity is exceedingly high. Safety and security, therefore, stimulates production, which reduces poverty. Moreover, security ensures that the environment is conducive for carrying out development projects such as setting up businesses (Cipher 2008, p. 35). Economic growth is a key factor to consider in enhancing considerable development. Economic growth refers to an increase in productive capacity of a certain economy, which improves the lifestyles of individuals in the economy. Economic growth is usually linked with change in technology. With economic growth, there is increased production of commodities and services. Economists argue that; economic growth has to be experienced first, before experiencing development (Blakely 2009, p. 78). Therefore, economic growth is essential for development to happen. Hence, individuals can think of development being brought about by economic growth. In determining whether there is economic growth, GDP per capita is used. This represents the total income per head of the population in a country. Economic growth reduces poverty as it enhances people’s lifestyles. With the increase in production capacity, most of the population in a country can afford the basic commodities, which reduces the levels of poverty (Ezeala-Harrison 1996, p. 19). Economic growth comes with transformations in the economy. The transformations assist in the formulation of policies, which target increasing the production capacity and improving the living standards of the citizens in a country. Through the transformations, there is poverty reduction since there are policies geared towards reduction of poverty. Hence, development can be seen in terms of economic growth and transformations, which have an implication of reducing the levels of poverty. Conclusion In conclusion, development is seen differently by various individuals, but the different meanings of development can be derived from the indicators of development. The different indicators of development that can be used to show development include; health, education, economic growth and transformations, good governance, employment, inequality, and safety and security. All these indicators give an implication of development and have an effect of reducing the poverty level. Good health stimulates the production process by providing the strength and morale to work. When most of the population is healthy, there is increased production, which lowers the poverty levels. High literacy rates reduce poverty through increased utilisation of knowledge in the production process. Economic growth and transformations in the economy enhance production, which lowers the poverty rate. Areas that are safe and secure reduce the level of poverty through increased production. In addition, sound governance and high employment rate also reduce poverty through increased production. With good governance, there is improved service delivery to the public. Thus, it can be concluded that development can be explained based on its various indicators. References List Blakely, E., 2009. Planning Local Economic Development: theory and practice, New York, Sage Publishers. Cipher, J., 2008. The Process of Economic Development, London, Taylor & Francis. Ezeala-Harrison, F., 1996. Economic Development: theory and policy applications, New York, Greenwood Publishing. Galbraith, J., 1994. Economic Development, Cambridge, Harvard University Press. Herrick, B., 1983. Economic Development, New York, McGraw-Hill. Morgan, T., 1995. Economic Development: concept and strategy, New York, Harper & Row. Rao, D., 1985. Economic Development: Causes and Consequences, London, Routledge. Shields, M., 2007. Economic Development: a regional, institutional, and historical approach, New York, M.E. Sharpe. Read More