Development: Demographics
Learning Objectives
- Students assess the five conditions for economic growth in an assigned country, present their findings in an infographic, and discuss patterns they discover.
Length
Two 45 minute periods
Grade Level
High School
Homework
Students will complete Part 1 of the guided reading handout.
Class One
- (10 Minutes) Debrief Homework: What are some of the consequences associated with inequality? How can countries limit inequality?
- (35 Minutes) Development Infographic
- Review the video What is Development? noting the five conditions for economic growth—peace and stability, education, access to capital, rule of law, and opportunity.
- Assign students (individually/ pairs /small groups) to countries at a variety of levels of development. For example, when assigning countries to the class, try to draw roughly equally from each of the four columns below (SEE BELOW)
- First, ask students to go to the World Bank website
- Scroll down to the table labeled “All Countries and Economies” and write down the Gini Coefficient of their assigned countries
- Consider: How does your assigned country’s level of inequality compare with others on the list? How does this level of inequality shape its ability to develop?
- Next, ask students to look at population statistics for their country using this link from the U.S. Census Bureau website.
- On the left, you will find “Select by Country/Area” and underneath it should say “World” in blue. Click on “World,” choose your country, and press ok. You will now have a variety of charts based on your country.
- Consider: What do you notice? How do these demographics impact development? Is your country’s population old or young? In particular, look at the population pyramid to get an idea about age distribution in your country.
- Now, have students create an infographic that assesses their assigned country in terms of the five conditions for economic growth, incorporating what they have discovered about their country’s population and Gini coefficient. NOTE: You will probably find it helpful to review some sample infographics together and discuss what makes them effective.
- Students will use the remainder of today’s class period to research, take notes, and plan out their infographic. They will complete and share their infographic during the next period.
Homework
- Students will complete Part 2 of the guided reading handout.
Class Two
- (5 Minutes) Debrief Homework: How does an aging population impact a country? What are some ways a country can respond to slowing population growth?
- (25 Minutes) Complete Infographic: Students will use this time to finalize their infographic. They may use methods such as posters, Google Drawing, Canva, etc to make their infographic. They will briefly share takeaways at the end of class
- (15 Minutes) Share: Have students share their work and discuss whether they see any patterns between how developed a country is and how it rates under each of the five conditions for economic growth.
Vocabulary
- brain drain
a term, distinct from brain waste, that refers to the emigration of highly educated or skilled individuals from a home country, resulting in a “brain gain” in the receiving country.
- democratic institutions
the organized bodies associated with a democratic form of governance, like freely elected legislatures.
- GDP per capita
a measure of a country’s economic output determined by the value of goods and services it produces in a given year, or gross domestic product, divided by the number of people in that country.
- gross domestic product
a measure of a country’s economic output determined by the value of goods and services it produces in a given year.