Development, Globalisation and Contemporary Political Concerns
Development, Globalisation and Contemporary Political Concerns tests whether you can evaluate change rather than merely describe it. You should distinguish growth from development and analyse globalisation’s uneven effects on sovereignty, welfare and culture.
Core concepts
- Development was long equated with GDP growth. Amartya Sen’s capability approach shifts attention to freedoms, health, education and participation. HDI combines income, life expectancy and schooling.
- Sustainable development meets present needs without compromising future generations, linking environment, equity and economy.
- Globalisation is the increased cross-border flow of goods, capital, people, technology and ideas. It includes trade liberalisation, FDI, digital networks and cultural exchange.
- India’s 1991 reforms liberalised licensing, trade and investment after a balance-of-payments crisis. Growth and services expanded, but informal labour, regional inequality and agrarian distress persisted.
- Cultural globalisation can produce homogenisation, hybridisation or resistance. Global governance debates concern WTO rules, labour standards, climate finance and digital sovereignty.
Worked example
Question: Has globalisation reduced poverty? Reasoning: export growth and technology created jobs and cheaper goods, and some poverty measures fell. But gains were uneven; farmers faced import competition, informal workers lacked security, and financial crises spread. The answer depends on which poverty line, period and region are used, so causal claims need evidence.
Traps
Do not equate development with GDP. Do not say globalisation is only economic. Do not claim it began in 1991; 1991 marks India’s accelerated liberalisation. Avoid one-sided answers.