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?
Jahan begins his podcast by defining human development as the process of enlarging the choices of people in every regard. Thus the choices and opportunities of people to use these choices must be enhanced. As he continues, Jahan references the Gettysburg Address, stating that human development is “of the people, for the people, and by the people.” Ultimately, its to develop human resources and ensure that they are apparent in our lives. Jahan also elaborates on the importance of the Human Development Index and it is here where he distinguishes the Focus and Breadth measures. Breadth measures statistics such as unemployment or infant mortality to see a more comprehensive picture of society. The Focus measure, on the other hand, focuses on knowledge and life expectancy to focus on basic elements of human development which may as a door for other “types of human choices.” It’s not about competition among having the higher HDI which cannot even completely capture the notion of human development as human development is more than data but must also foster cooperation and the whole concept of creativity. Volunteering, or helping those in need, while not a standard job, is nevertheless imperative for such development. It helps encourage greater social cohesion and interaction among the community.
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?
Rosling introduces this seeming correlation through the trending correlations between diminishing child mortality rate and GDP per capita over time. He constructed his thesis by illustrating the time-lapse of the UAE regarding these parameters; while oils and minerals boosted their economies drastically, ultimately health cannot be bought at the market thus resulting in their gradual increase in GDP per capita at the expense of their child mortality rate. Statistics on averages cannot be used to generalize the entirety of the subset. While these averages may grant us a simpler scope of the situation, we must also consider the different predicaments certain countries face within these subsets. In the Ted Talk, Rosling illustrates a comparison between the average GDP per capita and child mortality rates. While the linearity between wealth and health was quite distinct, once Rosling slit up sub-Saharan Africa into its countries, visible disparities among the residing nations can be seen. Nations such as Mauritius can be seen among the averaged developed nations while other nations such as sierra leone had high child mortality rates among being one of the poorest nations in terms of GDP per capita. In this sense, such attempts at a one-size-fits-all humanitarian operation have failed throughout the decades; the circumstances surround each nation must be considered to allow the best course of humanitarian action to proceed.
Synthesized
Human development is not purely statistical. While the pure black and white slate of enlarging the freedoms and opportunities of people offers such a good estimation of progress, we cannot neglect the creative and humanitarian side of the matter. While Jahan defines the importance of looking at both sides of the equation, Rosling ultimately puts such ideas into practice and even warns against the consequences of negelecting either sides.
Jahan begins by pointing iterating an essential point mirroring Lincolns Gettysburg address, stating that human development is “of the people, for the people, and by the people”, hinting at the more holistic view of the process. Rather than purely looking at the statistical side of furthering freedoms in the light of unemployment or GDP per capita and fostering competition among rival nations, its imperative to fosrter cooperation through humanitarian work. While volunteering or creativity may not factor into the statistics of human development, such tasks encourage the interweaving and cohesion of society which, just as much as improving economic and technological disparities, contributes to bettering the freedoms and opportunities of the world. In his Ted Talk, Rosling then puts such concepts illustrated by Jahan into persepctive thruogh graphs and large data. By aknowledging both sides of human development, Rosling sees the use of black and white statistics as a means to further implement and improve humanitarian practices. Statistics cannot be used to generalize the entirety of the subset. While these averages may grant us a simpler scope of the situation, we must also consider the different predicaments certain countries face within these subsets. By failing to follow through with this action, fruitful humanitarian aid is not possible. For example, the duality of wealth and circumstances among African nations prevents the one-size-fits-all approach we have been implementing over the past decades from working efficiently and effectively. Givin the extreme economic and mortality disparities among some of the poverty strucken and seeming vacation areas, we must continue to address humanitarian efforts on a case by case basis. On another note, Rosling demonstrates the consequences of neglecting the humanitarian side of human development. He constructed his thesis by illustrating the time-lapse of the UAE regarding these parameters; while oils and minerals boosted their economies drastically, ultimately health cannot be bought at the market thus resulting in their gradual increase in GDP per capita at the expense of their child mortality rate.
While it may be easy to see human development in the form of black and white statistics, ultimately it is imperative for us to get over such a conclusion and look into the humantiarian efforts surrounding such a matter.