Development is a broad term that can refer to economic growth, improvement in social or political standards, as well as any other positive change. It can be measured by such indicators as life expectancy or literacy rates. In general, developed countries tend to have higher standards of living. This is due to increased agriculture and manufacturing, international trade and technological advancements. It can also be attributed to the fact that those countries are often better educated and have access to higher levels of healthcare.
Various professionals and researchers have varying definitions of development. For example, Amartya Sen developed the capability approach which focuses on giving people freedom of choice and action. Martha Nusbaum, on the other hand, focuses on women’s rights and empowerment. Both of these approaches are important to understand because they can give you a better insight on the meaning of development.
Another way to look at development is through the lens of complexity theory. This is a new perspective on the concept which takes into account that things are interconnected and interacting with each other. It sees development as an emergent property of the system that includes both the motivation to create a social change and essential preconditions for that change to happen.
Lastly, there is the right-to-development philosophy which says that everyone has the right to live in a healthy and prosperous environment. This is based on the idea that a person’s basic needs should be met first. This could include food, shelter and security.