workshop

What is Human Development?

Selim Jahan, Director of UNDP’s Human Development Report Office

The Best Stats You’ve Never Seen

Hans Rosling, Gapminder

February 3, 2020

Selim Jahan introduces the idea that for far too long the paradigm of economic development has dominated the idea of human development. Jahan states that while income is critical it is not an end, and that human development is about expanding the richness of life, not the richness of the economy within which human beings live. What are some of the targetted issues that Jahan examples as requiring focus throughout the world? Elaborate further on Jahan’s definition of human development. What are the different measures incorporated into the Human Development Index that serve to capture the breadth and focus of each countries’ average achievement?

Hans Rosling states that “we underestimate the tremendous social change that often precedes economic change” and proceeds to provide several examples. What were some of the examples Rosling presented where health appeared to be a precursor to wealth? What was Rosling’s warning regarding the dangers of using averages when describing development?

Money and income has been viewed as the most critical factor in human development, but this is not fully true. Selim Jahan iterates in his podcast that human development is much more than the economic factor of growth. Human development, in general, is about the process of enlarging human choices. These choices do stem farther than just the economic aspect, as choices can also be more political or cultural. Overall, human development is development of the people, for the people, and by the people. Rather than just being interested in the development of human capital, people must ensure that benefits are translated for the people, and to acknowledge that humans are active participants in the process. For example, Jahan speaks about the Human Development Index, HDI, which includes breadth measures and focus measures. There are breadth measures which touch on mortality rate, birth rate, GDP, etc. And there are also focus measures which encompass life spans, knowledge,and standards of living. These focus measures are some of the targetted issues that Jahan examples as requiring focus throughout the world. Jahan emphasizes that people should be rethinking the term “work” for human development. Work should include artistic and creative work as well as labor and jobs. This is important because these types of works contribute to human well-being, social cohesion, and interconnectedness. Overall, human development should become more holistic; incorporating and giving attention to factors, other than purely economic, will make the process of human development more worthwhile.

Hans Rosling gave many examples about how wealth correlates strongly with health. Data shows that as the general wealth increases overtime, child survival rate increases as well, as evident in several countries all over the globe such as China, Japan, and the United States. This suggests that there is a strong linearity between child survival rate and money. This analysis is helpful for the progression of human development; however, it is important to be careful when using averages to describe development. For example, differences in GDP per capita and child survival rates can be extremely drastic between neighboring countries, or even within one state or region. Furthermore, Rosling expresses the importances of improving the world through highly contextualized plans, more detailed than a regional level, since each region is so personalized with its own unique qualities.