SOCY 211

LEARNING ACTIVITY 5

DEVELOPMENT:

STUDY UNIT: 3

LECTURER: MS. K. PHAJANE

J.E. COETZEE

33760845

TEL: 0795043183

16 APRIL 2021

1. Introduction

Development, especially in terms of in a national scale, can be measured and characterised by a variety of phenomena. Herein will lead a brief discussion of four of the characteristics typically presented by countries with, or in developing economies additionally how these may present in the South African context.

2. Political transformation

Developing may often be characterised by political change or transformation Khambampati (2004:14). What is meant by this, is that developing countries often exhibit a marked change in political orientation in terms the political freedom its citizens. This is often found in the shifts toward democracy, which in own turns is used as a sort of measuring stick for development, as it is underscored by the political mobility and freedom of the citizenry. In the South African context, this can be seen in the fact that there exists a fully democratic State, democratic elections, and a democratically underscored constitution providing things such as freedom of speech and the prohibiting of censure.

3. Modernisation

The level of modernisation found in a country is strongly indicative of its level of development Khambampati (2004:13). What this means, is that countries with lower levels of development are characterised by strong traditionally oriented societies’ and social interactions, as well as extra-economic distinctions among its citizens such as class and caste systems strong and linguistic and religious categorisation ideologies. In terms of South Africa, this can be seen to some extent when one looks at the relatively strong class system existing among its citizenry. Although this is base predominantly on socio-economic status, the underlying factors that influence the socio-economic status of South Africans can nonetheless not be excluded from discussion when it comes to the level of modernisation exhibited in our country.

4. Growth and structural change

Khambampati (2004:13) elaborates growth and structural change as characterised by 1) a substantial proportion of a (developing) country’s population is involved in activities either centring around the primary sector and/or of a non-manufacturing nature, and 2) a large proportion of the GNP is produced within the primary (specifically agricultural) sector. As such, if South Africa were to be regarded as such, there would be a staggering amount of South African working of farms (either commercial or sustenance) and the majority of our country’s Gross Domestic Product would emerge from the primary (agricultural) sector, in stead of the other productive, secondary sectors of the economy.

5. Distributive equity

Khambampati (2004:13) postulates that the disparities in the distribution of the GDP within economically developed countries are substantially small and relatively equal. As such, distributive equity as indicator of national development in South Africa would (depending on the level of development) either indicate a relatively equal GDP per capita in the case of higher development; or, conversely, a very marginalising distribution of the Gross Domestic product among citizens in the case of lower level of existing development. Incidentally, it is interesting to see that the distribution of a nation’s wealth – when measuring said nation’s level of development, that is – is measured on the basis of continuum, rather than category. This suggests that development (or at least the measuring thereof) is a continuous process rather than a staged one.

6. Conclusion

Thus, in a brief and rather rudimentary way, the development of a country has been shown as measurable. Instead of sticking to a one-sided ideology of economic growth, GDP and GDP per capita as measurements of development, contemporary thought and academic inquiry may very well expand the view of development as principle to support a more inclusive, holistic perspective – one in which there may be more clear and accurate measurements of not only national development, but human development as a whole.      

7. Reference List

Khambampati, U.S. 2004. Development and the developing world. Malden, MA: Polity Press.