The concept of development: Africa’s human development
The concept of development: Africa’s human development
dimensions, many of which are not well captured by conventional measures of economic income (see Griffin and Knight, 1990; UNDP, 1990). Particular attention has been given to using measures of health
and education as welfare indicators in addition to GDP per capita. Education, good health and longevity
are intrinsically valuable outputs. In conventional measures of economic output, health and education’s
contribution is measured essentially by the costs of producing the outcomes, ie expenditures on schools
and medical facilities. Such a procedure identifies inputs rather than outputs. The valuation of both
health and education is difficult as both are goods with attributes different from most types of goods
produced in an economy. Whilst high incomes may be conducive to health, health cannot be directly
purchased like material goods and services. Health and education are often subsidised by the state and
in some countries education is compulsory for certain minimum length of times. Many, if not most,
health and education services are produced by the public sector. Governments play a direct part in
providing services very directly linked to human welfare.
In this paper, health outcomes are measured mainly through mortality statistics. Of these, life
expectancy at birth is perhaps the most comprehensive, depending as it does on the current agespecific
mortality rates for all age groups. Educational indicators are either stock or flow measures.
Stock measures of educational indicators include the literacy of the population, the average number of
years of education of the population and the extent of educational attainment by level. These measures
are appropriate for assessing the accumulated achievement of a country or for estimating the contribution
of education to economic performance. Flow measures are school enrolment ratios and measure
investment in the future capacities of the population.1
The UNDP has developed a composite indicator, the human development index (HDI),
which gives equal weight to three indicators: real GDP per capita (measured at purchasing power
parity in constant prices); life expectancy at birth; and educational attainment, measured by adult
literacy (two-thirds weight) and combined primary, secondary and tertiary enrolment ratios (onethird
weight) (see UNDP, 1997, p122 for details). The index is valuable in extending the economic
concept of welfare, but for many purposes it is more useful to focus on the individual components
of the index than the index itself. Africa has performed very differently in each of the three
dimensions of the welfare and the dimensions are not independent.
The most recent UNDP Human Development Report shows that Africa has the lowest level
of human development of any region but its income per capita is higher than that of South Asia.2
In what follows, we often compare Africa with South Asia. This comparison provides a useful
benchmark, since South Asia is the region most similar to Africa in terms of income and overall
development. For example, it is instructive to consider why Africa has a lower HDI than South
Asia despite having higher income. The proximate cause is the relatively low life expectancy at
birth of Africans.
Human Capital and Economic Development
Simon Appleton and Francis Teal
The concept of development Africas human development - To learn more about this author, visit African Development Bank's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
The concept of human development centres around the notion that human welfare depends on various
dimensions, many of which are not well captured by conventional measures of economic income (see Griffin and Knight, 1990; UNDP, 1990). Particular attention has been given to using measures of health
and education as welfare indicators in addition to GDP per capita. Education, good health and longevity
are intrinsically valuable outputs. In conventional measures of economic output, health and education’s
contribution is measured essentially by the costs of producing the outcomes, ie expenditures on schools
and medical facilities. Such a procedure identifies inputs rather than outputs. The valuation of both
health and education is difficult as both are goods with attributes different from most types of goods
produced in an economy. Whilst high incomes may be conducive to health, health cannot be directly
purchased like material goods and services. Health and education are often subsidised by the state and
in some countries education is compulsory for certain minimum length of times. Many, if not most,
health and education services are produced by the public sector. Governments play a direct part in
providing services very directly linked to human welfare.
In this paper, health outcomes are measured mainly through mortality statistics. Of these, life
expectancy at birth is perhaps the most comprehensive, depending as it does on the current agespecific
mortality rates for all age groups. Educational indicators are either stock or flow measures.
Stock measures of educational indicators include the literacy of the population, the average number of
years of education of the population and the extent of educational attainment by level. These measures
are appropriate for assessing the accumulated achievement of a country or for estimating the contribution
of education to economic performance. Flow measures are school enrolment ratios and measure
investment in the future capacities of the population.1
The UNDP has developed a composite indicator, the human development index (HDI),
which gives equal weight to three indicators: real GDP per capita (measured at purchasing power
parity in constant prices); life expectancy at birth; and educational attainment, measured by adult
literacy (two-thirds weight) and combined primary, secondary and tertiary enrolment ratios (onethird
weight) (see UNDP, 1997, p122 for details). The index is valuable in extending the economic
concept of welfare, but for many purposes it is more useful to focus on the individual components
of the index than the index itself. Africa has performed very differently in each of the three
dimensions of the welfare and the dimensions are not independent.
The most recent UNDP Human Development Report shows that Africa has the lowest level
of human development of any region but its income per capita is higher than that of South Asia.2
In what follows, we often compare Africa with South Asia. This comparison provides a useful
benchmark, since South Asia is the region most similar to Africa in terms of income and overall
development. For example, it is instructive to consider why Africa has a lower HDI than South
Asia despite having higher income. The proximate cause is the relatively low life expectancy at
birth of Africans.
Human Capital and Economic Development
Simon Appleton and Francis Teal
The concept of development Africas human development - To learn more about this author, visit African Development Bank's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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