Links Between Economic, Social, Political and Environmental Development (DP IB Global Politics: SL): Revision Note

Interconnections in development

• The four dimensions of development - economic, social, political and environmental - are often studied separately

  • In practice they are deeply interconnected

• Progress in one area can drive progress in others

  • Equally, failure in one area can undermine development across the rest

• Different actors and institutions prioritise different types of development

  • This leads to debate about which measures and pathways are most effective

• Understanding these links is central to evaluating whether development is truly sustainable in the long term

Interconnected nature of measurements of development

• Economic, social, political and environmental development are sometimes considered individually

• In reality they are all interconnected and interdependent

The three pillars of sustainability

• Sustainability depends on balancing three key areas in government policy

  • Economic

    • Profit, growth, costs, research and development (R&D)

    • Focuses on creating wealth and economic stability

  • Social

    • Education, jobs, living standards, equal opportunities

    • Focuses on quality of life and fairness

  • Environmental

    • Biodiversity, natural resource use, pollution prevention

    • Focuses on protecting the planet

• These three areas are interconnected, so government policy often reflects this

  • Economic + Social (social-economic)

    • Worker benefits

    • Business ethics

    • Fair trade

    • Economic activity should be fair and responsible

  • Economic + Environmental (economic-environmental)

    • Energy efficiency

    • Renewable energy

    • Green technology

    • Incentives (such as subsidies)

    • Growth should not damage the environment

  • Social + Environmental (social-environmental)

    • Environmental justice

    • Conservation policy

    • Global stewardship

    • Environmental protection should be fair

• Sustainability is achieved when government policy achieves a balance of the economic, social and environmental factors

Perspectives on priorities in measuring development

• Traditionally and historically, economic development has been the most widely accepted way to determine the development of the state

  • Some actors believe that measuring economic development should be prioritised over others

• The economic status of a state is the best way to see if it has the wealth to support social and environmental development

  • Healthcare, education and infrastructure is expensive

  • Economic development is easier to measure and may be considered more accurate than other development measures

• Other actors argue that measuring other types of development give a more accurate picture of the sustainability of improvements

  • Environmental development should be prioritised and measured, as the future of humanity depends on it

  • Social development should be measured as a priority because people leading meaningful and productive lives is at the core of human existence

  • Political development must be measured as a priority because people need to have input into policies that change their lives and corruption makes all forms of development impossible

• IGOs, including the United Nations and the European Union. see the value of measuring all types of development due to their interdependent nature

Pathways to development

Modernisation theory

• This theory, developed by Rostow looks at the historical process and argues there are specific steps taken by all societies as they develop

Criticisms of the Modernisation theory

• It is based on a historical European model of development and may not apply to all states

  • Policies based on this model are therefore not always successful

• Post-colonialists and neo-Marxists see this theory as a model of Western imperialism

  • This leads to the exploitation of marginalised people and workers

• Environmentalists argue that mass production and overconsumption is destroying the planet

Dependency theory

• Dependency theory is favoured by neo-Marxists and neo-colonialists

• It attempts to explain why there are such different levels of development among states

  • After states were freed from colonialism, they were left with weak governance

    • They were forced to depend on maintaining exploitative economic relationships with former colonisers who remained powerful

• Therefore, the best pathway to development requires changing the international structure of the global economy

Criticisms of Dependency theory

• Changing the international structure of global economy is not realistic

• The global economy continues to work for most nations and has enabled development

Neoliberalism

• Neoliberals criticise Dependency theory, and argue that the interdependent nature of the global economy benefits all

  • The key to economic growth for all states is international trade

  • Some states are less developed due to internal factors such as poor government and a lack of political structures and infrastructure

  • Therefore, the best pathway to development is for states to make internal changes to government and economic structures which inhibit free trade

Criticisms of neo-liberalism theory

• Neoliberalism has mostly benefited already powerful economically developed states and non-state actors and companies

• The focus is entirely on economic development, which presents a limited view of development