GEOG 1410 Lecture Notes - Lecture 33: Neocolonialism, Underemployment, Industrial Revolution
7 May 2018
School
Department
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GEOG 1410
February 15, 2018
Explaining Uneven Development: Why are some places more developed than others?
Introduction
● Most of the income inequality in the world is between countries rather than within
them
● Yet, within-country inequality is substantial (Ex. Brazil, USA)
● Geography of development changes over time (Asia used to be dominant producer of
global output until the period of colonialism)
World was not like this always
● Average output per person, versus years
● The geography of income is not constant
● Why is it that billions of people are unable to eat?
● Inequality is preventing world peace; due to a lack of reasonably equitable
development
Increasing technology isn’t going to benefit our world.
Theories of Internal Causes
Geographical theories
● Adverse climatic condition and lack of resources
○ People are lazier in warmer climates?
● Reliance on non-renewable resources
● Spatial disadvantages
○ Remoteness, don’t have a port
Demographic Theory
● A. high population growth
○ Stage ⅔ of DTM
○ Malthusian idea
● If there are many people why is that a problem?
● B. Youthful age structure
○ Resources to be spent on current consumption and not productive
reinvestment
Assessment of these theories
● Ecological/Spatial Factors
○ Cannot cause underdevelopment
○ May only exacerbate problems
■ Over-population or high population growth rate cannot be the
fundamental cause of poverty
● We need to explain why m-c-p-c’-m’ does not work properly in the sphere of
production
● Technology: you make people produce more every hour
