Development is the process through which relatively poor countries’ economies become richer, larger, and more complicated. In addition to simple economic growth, development also implies the formation of financial institutions and a diversity of industries and activities. Economies undergoing development are also called developing countries or emerging markets. The development of China in the last 20 or so years from a relatively poor, rural, state-led economy into a vibrant, dynamic, more capitalist power has impressed many journalists and economists alike.
Archive for the ‘Levels’ Category
Development is…
Monday, November 2nd, 2009A Loan Commitment is…
Monday, November 2nd, 2009A loan commitment is a promise by a lender to loan a predetermined sum to a borrower on specific terms.
A Probate is…
Monday, November 2nd, 2009A probate is either a) the process of officially proving that a will is legitimate or b) a will that has already gone through that process.
Overhead is…
Monday, November 2nd, 2009Overhead is the cost or expense of the general upkeep or running of a business, nonprofit, plant, or any other property. Overhead does not include the costs of production or sale of goods.
Total Fertility Rate is…
Thursday, October 29th, 2009Total fertility rate is a measurement of how many children would be born to each woman in a society if each woman lived to the end of her childbearing years. It’s expressed as a specific number per woman in a population – total fertility rates above 2 (per woman) generally mean a population is growing. Areas with high poverty and low educational attainment tend to have high total fertility rates.
An Emergency Kitchen is…
Thursday, October 29th, 2009An emergency kitchen (sometimes called a soup kitchen) is a place that provides food to poor, hungry, and starving people directly on the premises. Many people volunteer their time to serve food at emergency kitchens or donate food to people who would otherwise go without.
A Political Prisoner is…
Thursday, October 29th, 2009A political prisoner is a person who is detained against their will because of their political beliefs or because they hold some political significance to a ruling party. Political prisoners generally have committed no crime aside from espousing a belief different to that of the ruling class or one that the people in power see as threatening to their control over a country or region. Holding political prisoners is a violation of human rights.
Maternal Health is…
Thursday, October 29th, 2009Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the period following birth. Maternal health is extremely important because it has a direct impact on the health and quality of life of all a mother’s children and dependents. Poor maternal health, which can be a result of lack of healthcare or family planning services, can result in high infant mortality rates and poor child health.
Infant Mortality Rate is…
Thursday, October 29th, 2009Infant mortality rate is a measure of how many babies under one year old die each year compared to how many are born. It’s usually expressed as some number out of 1000; i.e, about 7/1,000 infants die before reaching a year old in the United States (which ranks us about 29th in the world). Areas with high poverty and poor healthcare tend to have high infant mortality rates.
An Epidemic is…
Thursday, October 29th, 2009An epidemic is when a disease spreads rapidly and suddenly for a relatively short period of time. This is different from endemic because it is generally unexpected and unpredictable. Epidemics of disease can spread and cause huge amounts of death and suffering in a very short period of time – the recent outbreaks of H1N1 Swine Flu and Avian flu in past years have spread fear that a major epidemic could be on the horizon.