Global Development Terms

WEEK ONE:
Term Definition
Ideology A system of ideas that inform economic,
political and social theory
Universalism Theoretical perspective involving the
universal application or right of modes of
development. E.g. universal access to human
rights involves access to all rights by all
people regardless of gender, race, sexual
orientation. Universalism assumes that there
is a singular, prescribed set of rights or path
to development that should be applied to all
human beings
Relativism The values and beliefs of a culture must be
evaluated upon the standards inherent to
that culture. Cultural relativism counters
ethnocentrism which is the belief of
superiority of one’s own culture over
another. In development studies, cultural
relativism can be used to justify the rejection
of certain rights and/or paths to
development
Mainstream Development Paradigm the use of Western standards of progress and
the use of Western processes of
development. This involved the
establishment of market economies and the
emphasis upon economic development in
order to create infrastructure and social
development. The mainstream development
paradigm assumes a modernization
approach, and measures development
through an economic lens
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Measure of the total production of goods and
services in a country. GDP per capita is a
measurement of this total divided by the
total number of people in a country
Gross National Product (GNP) Total production of goods and services by all
citizens of a country, regardless of where
they reside
Gross National Income (GNI) A variation of GNP which removes indirect
taxes. This measurement is used by the
World Bank
Gini Coefficient
Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)
Human Development Index (HDI)
Gender Development Index (GDI)
Gross National Happiness
A statistical measurement designed to
represent the income or wealth distribution
of a nation’s residents. it is the most
commonly used measure of inequality. A
score near 0 means lower inequality,
whereas a score nearing 1 signifies higher
inequality. A problem with this is that they do
not capture variances within income groups
(e.g. gender, race, age, etc.)
Measuring GDP per capita while taking into
account the buying power of a dollar in
different countries. In other words, it
accounts for the variation in the valuation of
a dollar across countries
Alternative measure of development that is
based upon life expectancy, literacy and
estimated earned income
Measurement of development premised
upon life expectancy, literacy and estimated
earned income, which is also designed to
capture the inequality between men and
women
Alternative measurement of development
that accounts for community vitality, culture,
health, leisure activities, education,
environmental diversity, psychological well-
being and living standards. It is an alternative
to emphasizing economic indicators of
development

WEEK TWO:
Term Definition
Empire A group of states or countries under a single
primary authority (e.g. British Empire)
controlling economies and governance with
full administrative power
Imperialism Political and economic system involving
powerful, wealthy states gaining control of
the economic, social and political life of other
societies/nations (can involve long-distance
commercial ties involving direct or indirect
political ties and control) it is the extension of
power through diplomacy and/or military or
 commercial force
Colonialism Practice of occupying and acquiring political
control and administration over another
country. Colonialism is a tool of imperialism
Scramble for Africa Invasion, occupation and division of Africa by
European powers following the Berlin
Conference in 1884. The colonization of
Africa involved European powers splitting up
the continent and creating arbitrary borders.
The countries that were created in Africa out
of the process resulted in cultural/language
groups being split across borders or
separated from naturals resources that were
integral to their community
Triangular Trade Trading system that created uneven power
and economic relations across the Atlantic.
This system involved Great Britain travelling
to the continent of Africa to take slaves to
the Americas for harvesting raw materials.
The raw materials were then taken back to
Great Britain to be processed into
manufactured, value-added goods. Great
Britain then took these goods and sold them
across Africa and the Americas. An uneven
trading relationship occurred as Great Britain
obtained raw materials at a low cost (e.g.
cotton) and sold higher value-added goods
(e.g. clothes) to people that could barely
afford the costs, but which became
necessities
Internal Colonialism Political and economic controls of regions or
groups of people within a country. Internal
colonialism often involves segregation or
separation of racial or ethnic groups. An
example of internal colonialism is the reserve
system in Canada
Neocolonialism The continuation of economically exploitative
relationships between countries, despite
formal political and cultural pressures to
control or influence other countries,
especially former colonies in the south
Hegemony Dominance of one country or social group
over another, but without the direct use fo

Colonization of the mind
WEEK THREE:
Term
Law of Accumulation
Comparative Advantage
The Invisible Hand (Adam Smith)
Keynesianism
Modernization Theory
Dependency Theory
coercive power. Domination can take form
through ideology, policy or economic
pressure. Countries lose their practical
freedom, yet maintain formal sovereignty
The control of values and perceptions
through cultural means such as media,
education, language, etc. it is colonization
over an individual’s and/or group’s social
system and beliefs
Definition
Constant need within capitalism to reinvest
profits back into the business in order to
remain competitive. Infers that capitalism
requires growth and that growth potential is
infinite
Specialization in commodities that a country
can produce most efficiently, and trading
those for commodities that a country is less
efficient at producing. Eventually the
economy can diversify
Term coined by Adam Smith. It is the idea
that markets are largely self-regulating and
self-equilibrating, with little need for external
intervention from the government, except
for creating and enforcing rules of the market
and in cases where are market failures
A school of economic thought associated
with the work of John Maynard Keynes.
Argues that markets require regular state
intervention if they are to operate efficiently
and effectively, but state intervention should
be as minimal as possible and should
sometimes be withdrawn once market
equilibriums have been restored. The state’s
role is to correct market failures, not to
dominate markets
Universal model of development associated
with Walt Rostow which emphasizes the use
of western-style forms of capitalism to realize
full human potential
Resources from peripheral nations flow into
 core nations in order to generate wealth. A
dependency is created between the
periphery and core. The core is dependent
upon the periphery for the exploitation of
natural resources, and the periphery
becomes dependent upon the core for value-
added goods
Import Substitution Path of development whereby countries put
up protectionist barriers such as high tariffs
in order to build domestic industries. The
country selects one or more manufacturing
sectors to specialize in and provides subsidies
to protect the industry from imports in the
short term to create strong domestic
industries are removed to encourage
competitiveness on a global level
Neoliberalism An ideology and set of policies intended to
manage capitalism. Revival of classic
liberalism and laissez-faire economics,
focusing on heavier self-regulation of the
market. Neoliberal tents include market
deregulation, privatization, reductions in
social expenditure, trade liberalization and
fiscal austerity

WEEK FOUR:
Term Definition
Marxism A form of socio-economic analysis based on
the works of Karl Marx which sees class
formation and class conflict as a foundational
feature of society. Marxism argues that
capitalism is a dynamic system, freeing
people from the yoke of feudalism and
resulting in massive social and economic
change, but inherently unstable, unequal,
exploitative and self-destructive
World Systems Theory Classifications of nations as being part of the
periphery, semi-periphery or core. This
theory recognizes that nations can be mobile
and move between exploitation of its
resources from both the semi-periphery
Underdevelopment Theory Due to continuous exploitation and uneven
power relations, the periphery is trapped in a
 state of underdevelopment. Peripheral
nations can only develop when ties with core
nations are broken
Socialism A range of economic and social systems
characterized by social ownership and
workers self-management of the means of
production
Post-structuralism A social theory critical of universal truths and
binary concepts of either/or. Post-
development theory is a sub-set of this
school of thought and is critical of linear
notions of development (e.g. development
follows a specific path, such as modernization
theory)
Discourse analysis Interpreting and analyzing text, images or
language for embedded meanings that
portray and establish power relations
Orientalism Critique of Eurocentrism and perceptions of
‘the orient’ as an erotic yet menacing place
requiring development assistance. This
theory is focused on binary characterizations
of Europeans as strong, honest and moral,
but the oriental as weak, passive and corrupt.
The ‘oriental gaze’ refers to the ongoing
perception of racialized bodies as inferior to
those of European descent

WEEK FIVE:
Term Definition
UN General Assembly Main role is to oversee the UN budget and
create recommendations in the form of
resolutions. However, resolutions are not
legally binding. The General Assembly is
perceived as democratic because all nations
are given a single vote, weighted equally to
one another
UN Security Council Organization, which is responsible for
international peace and security, overseeing
peacekeeping operations. There are 5
permanent members which have veto
abilities (US, Britain, France, Russia and
China) and 10 non-permanent members
elected for two-year terms
 UN Economic and Social Council This branch of the UN organizes economic
and social initiatives of the UN. This council
includes a multitude of specialized agencies.
Funding this branch is voluntary, so it tends
to be unstable
Bilateral Aid Foreign aid provided by the government or
agency of one country directly to the
government of another country
Multilateral Aid Foreign aid provided by agencies acting on
behalf of a multitude of
governments/countries (e.g. IMF or World
Bank)
Official Development Assistance Official development assistance is formal
funding by governments intended for
development initiatives and foreign aid.
Official aid focuses on reducing poverty and
long-term objectives and is given in the form
of a grant, as opposed to a loan that needs to
be paid back
Tied Aid Providing foreign aid with the provision that
the money granted is used to purchase goods
or services from the donor country
Remittances Transfer of funds from a foreign worker back
to country of origin

WEEK SIX:
Term Definition
World Bank Multilateral development bank funded
through contributions of member countries.
Loans are granted for infrastructure projects.
The World Bank has always had an American
president, and the US has effective veto
power. The voting system is determined by
the size of the member country’s
contributions
International Monetary Fund Multilateral public bank funded through
contributions of member countries. Loans
are granted to stabilize budgets and
international trade. The US has effective veto
power and the voting system is determined
by the size of the member country’s
contributions
Bretton Woods Conference (1944) Conference to determine financing for post-

Structural Adjustment Programs
Multinational Corporation
State Owned Enterprise
Corporate Social Responsibility
WEEK SEVEN:
Terms
Civil society
Non-governmental organizations (NGO’s)
Community-based organizations (CBO’S)
Social Movements
war reconstruction and how to achieve
economic stability globally. The World Bank
and international monetary fund were
created out of this conference
Economic and social reforms developed by
the IMF and World Bank to promote
economic development. SAP’s include
conditionalities that the IMF and WB place on
loans in order for the receiving country to
receive a loan or grant. SAP’s are
accompanied by a timeline for
implementation
A for-profit company that operates and
invests in multiple countries. MNC’s tend to
be large and have considerable economic,
political and cultural influence
An entity or commercial organization owned
by the government
Voluntary activities undertaken by a
company to operate in economically, socially
and environmentally sustainable ways
Definitions
Refers to associations and organizations that
operate in the intermediate realm between
the state and family which are formed
voluntarily by members of society to advance
their interests, values or identities
Typically, non-profit organizations that are
independent of governments (though often
funded by governments) that are active in
humanitarian, educational, healthcare, public
policy, social, human rights, environmental
and other areas to effect changes according
to their objectives. NGO’s tend to engage
formally with the state and other actors
Typically, small, geographically based
organizations that work at a local/community
level to improve life for residents
Organizational structures and strategies used
by groups of individuals or organizations to
challenge and resist more powerful and
 advantaged elites with the aim of creating
social change from the bottom up
Social enterprise An organization that employs commercial
principles and strategies to make social,
economic and environmental improvements
on a for-profit or not-for-profit basis

WEEK EIGHT:
Term Definition
Gender A social construct created to categorize men
and women. It does not refer to biological
sex, rather the socially constructed
characteristics of men and women including
gender norms, roles and relationships
Patriarchy A social system where men are in a dominant
position and women are largely excluded
from holding power or having access to
important resources
Triple Burden of Women Refers to the phenomenon of women
breaking the burden of domestic work,
holding a paid job, and engaging in
community work. This triple burden is tiring,
reduces the hours that women have for
formal engagement in the workforce, and
reduces leisure time, with significant social,
cultural and psychological impacts
Women in Development a conceptual framework in development
studies which emphasizes that women
should have equal opportunities to men in a
market economy, based on the assumption
that fuller integration of women will improve
their lives and boost the economy as a
whole. This is a market-based approach to
gender equity intended to promote capitalist
development
Women and Development A conceptual framework in development
studies which is critical of market-based
approaches to understanding exploitation of
paid and unpaid labour of women. This
approach argues that capitalist modes of
production must be disrupted in order to
properly address gender inequalities
Gender and Development A conceptual framework in development
 studies which is critical of what it sees to be
an economistic approach to gender, seeking
reform in all facets of political and societal
institutions. This stream assumes an
intersectional approach to understanding
gender and unequal gender relations
Market Based Environmentalism An approach to environmental issues which
argues that the alleviation of environmental
degradation is best addressed through
market-based solutions such as carbon
trading, tax incentives and appropriate
pricing of environmental goods like water
Ecosocialism An approach to environmental issues which
argues that capitalism is inherently
destructive of environmental resources
because it is premised upon infinite
expansion of production. Ecosocialism seeks
to rupture capitalist systems of resource use
and move beyond its exploitative and class-
based structure, while at the same time
being critical of previous socialist forms of
production which we also seen to be highly
destructive of natural resources
Ecofeminism An approach to environmental issues which
links feminism to ecology, exploring
connections between the domination of
nature and the exploitation of women. There
are a wide range of theoretical perspectives
within this

WEEK NINE:
Term Definition
Rural A geographic area with a low population and
low population density (with definitions of
‘low’ varying across countries)
Urban A geographic area with a high population and
high population density (with definitions of
‘high’ varying across countries)
Urban Growth The rate at which the population of a city is
growing
Urbanization The proportion of people living in cities in a
country
Urban Primacy Cities which house more than 30% of a
 country’s total population
Megacity Cities whose population exceeds 10 million
Slum Informal settlements in urban areas which
are characterized by substandard housing
and inadequate basic services
World City A city generally considered to be an
important node in the global economic
system
Privatization The sale of a majority of ownership of a
state-owned asset or service to a private for-
profit company
Public-private Partnership (PPP) a partnership between a government agency
and private-sector company used to finance,
build or operate projects such as
transportation networks, parks and water
services
Corporatization State-owned and state-operated agencies
that are legally separate from government
and which typically operate as stand-alone
enterprises
Municipalization A process by which a service that has been
privatized in some form returns to local state
ownership and operation

WEEK TEN:
Term Definition
Financialization An increase in the size and importance of a
country’s financial sector relative to other
sectors of the economy
Foreign portfolio investment Investments abroad which can include the
purchase of foreign debt, foreign loans or the
purchase of foreign stocks. Portfolio capital
may flow in/out of a developing country
rapidly which can result in financial instability
or a balance-of-payment crisis
Heavily indebted poor countries initiative An arrangement made in 1996 among the
Bretton Woods institutions and government
donors to cancel the debt of some of the
poorest countries if they implemented and
adhered to structural adjustment programs
Hot Money The flow of funds from one country to
another in order to earn a short-term profit
on interest rate differences in exchange rates
Illegitimate Debt A loan that should have been made and is a
result of misconduct by the lender
Loan pushing Banks/lending agencies encouraging
borrowers to take on loans they do not need
or cannot afford
Odious Debt A loan to a dictatorship or regime that does
not benefit the citizens of that nation. Funds
may be used to repress the population
Fair Trade A trading partnership based on transparency
and respect that seeks greater equality in
international trade. It aims to contribute to
sustainable development by offering better
trading conditions to, and securing the rights
of, marginalized producers and workers in
the Global South
Fair Trade Network A network to connect small scale farmers and
craftsman in the Global South with
organizations and consumers in the Global
North through a system of fair-trade rules
and principles
Fair Trade Organization Organizations that are actively engaged in
supporting producers, raising awareness of
fair-trade issues and advocating for the
integration of fair-trade principles into all
international trade practices
Principles of Fair Trade Opportunities for disadvantaged producers;
transparency and accountability; fair trade
practices; fair payment; no child labour and
no forced labour; no discrimination, gender
equity and freedom of association; good
working conditions; capacity building;
promote fair trade; respect for the
environment

WEEK ELEVEN:
Term Definition
Global Health The health of populations in the global
context; it has been defined as the “area of
study, research and practice that places a
priority on improving health and achieving
equity in health for all people worldwide”
Health Equity Efforts to ensure that all people have full and

Health Inequities
Bio-social perspective on health
Determinants of health
BRICS
equal access to opportunities that enable
them to lead healthy lives
Differences in health outcomes and
opportunities that are avoidable, unfair, and
unjust. Health inequities are affected by
social, economic, and environmental
conditions
A perspective which recognizes the
interaction or combination of social and
biological influences on people’s health
The range of behavioural, biological, socio-
economic and environmental factors that
influence the health status of individuals or
populations
Economic and political grouping of Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Formalized in 2010 this (largely southern)
bloc of countries is intended to create and
alternative power base to existing (mostly
northern) blocs of countries such as the G7