8.5 advantages and limitations of HDI

Question 1

human development index (HDI)

Answer 1

a tool developed by the UN to measure and rank cointires’ levels of social and economic development. ot provides a single statistic based on 3 dimensions and 4 indications

Question 2

dimensions of HDI

Answer 2

• a long and healthy life
• knowledge
• a decent standard of living

Question 3

indicators

Answer 3

• life expectancy at birth
• mean years of schooling
• expected years of schooling
• GNI per capita

Question 4

life expectancy at birth

Answer 4

an indication of how long a person can expect to live; it is the number of years of life remaining to a person if death rates do not change

Question 5

mean years of schooling

Answer 5

the average number of years of formal education achieved by those aged 25 years and over

Question 6

expected years of schooling

Answer 6

the number of years of formal education expected for a child of school-entrance age.

Question 7

GNI per capita

Answer 7

the overall income of a country after expenses owing to other countries have been paid, divided by the population of the country

Question 8

advantages of the HDI

Answer 8

• takes more than just average income into account
• composite statistic
• effective for analysing progress that is made by countries overtime
• captured attention of media and policymakers to raise the awareness of the importance of human development

Question 9

limitations of the HDI

Answer 9

• complex concept and does not take into account many factors
• based on averages
• no survey data is collected
• reliability of the data is a challenge

Question 10

how is the HDI expressed

Answer 10

expressed as a number between 1 and 0. higher value indicates higher level of human development