Human Development and Sustainable Development

Indicators of development, global sustainability goals, and geographies of health.

Author

Geography Team

Official Syllabus

NEP-2020 Syllabus

NoteCore I Paper XIX — Human Development and Sustainable Development

**(4 Credit, Theory: 45hrs, Practical: 30hrs)*

**Unit I:* - Development: Concept and Indicators, Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI), HDI - Goals of Development: Economic Growth, Distributive Justice, Ecological Sustainability - Sustainable development: Concept and Approaches

**Unit II:* - Goals to Sustainability: UN’s 17 SDGs - Localizing SDGs - Population dynamics and SDGs - Global health and SDGs

**Unit III:* - Concepts of Health and Wellbeing; Factors affecting Health and Diseases - Concepts of morbidity, WHO Classification - Communicable and non-communicable diseases; Epidemiological Transition Theory - Evolution of health policies in India; Health Inequalities (Regional/Social)

UGC NET Syllabus

TipUGC NET Overlaps
  • Concept of development and indicators of development
  • Environment and Human Health, Diseases Ecology
  • Health Care Planning and Policies in India

Welcome to the Human Development and Sustainable Development module of Geography OpenCourseWare.

Part A: Common Topics (NEP-2020 & UGC NET)

These topics are covered in both the NEP-2020 undergraduate syllabus and the UGC NET syllabus.

Indicators of Human Development

Warning📘 Syllabus Coverage
Syllabus Topic Details
NEP-2020 Unit I — Concept, Indicators, PQLI, HDI
UGC NET Concept of development and indicators of development

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NoteKey Concepts
  • Economic Growth vs. Development: Growth is quantitative (increase in GDP), Development is qualitative (improvement in living standards, structural change).
  • Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI): Introduced by Morris (1979). Averages three indicators: Basic literacy rate, Infant mortality rate, Life expectancy at age one.
  • Human Development Index (HDI): Created by Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen for the UNDP (1990). Measures:
    1. Long and healthy life (Life expectancy at birth)
    2. Knowledge (Mean years of schooling and Expected years of schooling)
    3. Decent standard of living (GNI per capita).
  • Other Indices: Inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI), Gender Development Index (GDI), Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). The Global Gender Gap Index uniquely takes into account health, education, economics, and politics in measuring the status of women.

Sustainable Development and the UN SDGs

Warning📘 Syllabus Coverage
Syllabus Topic Details
NEP-2020 Unit I & II — Sustainable development, UN 17 SDGs, Localizing SDGs
UGC NET Regional imbalances, Planning paradigms

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NoteKey Concepts
  • Sustainable Development: “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland Commission, 1987).
  • The Three Pillars: Economic viability, environmental protection, and social equity.
  • Agenda 2030 (The 17 SDGs): Adopted by UN in 2015.
    • Key goals: No Poverty (1), Zero Hunger (2), Good Health (3), Quality Education (4), Gender Equality (5), Clean Water (6), Affordable Energy (7), Climate Action (13), Life on Land/Water (14,15).
  • Localizing SDGs: Adapting global goals to local/national contexts (e.g., NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index). Incorporating SDGs into Panchayat planning.

Geographies of Health and Epidemiology

Warning📘 Syllabus Coverage
Syllabus Topic Details
NEP-2020 Unit III — Health and Wellbeing, Morbidity, Epidemiological Transition, Health Inequalities
UGC NET Environment and Human Health, Diseases Ecology, Health Care Planning

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NoteKey Concepts
  • Health: A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease (WHO).
  • Morbidity vs. Mortality: Morbidity refers to the state of being diseased/unhealthy; Mortality is death.
  • Disease Types: Communicable (infectious, vector-borne) vs. Non-communicable (lifestyle diseases - diabetes, cardiovascular).
  • Epidemiological Transition Theory (Omran): Society shifts from high mortality driven by infectious diseases/famine to lower mortality driven by chronic/degenerative diseases as they modernize.
  • Health Inequalities in India: Massive rural-urban divides in healthcare access. States like Kerala outperforming northern states (BIMARU). Influence of caste and class on health outcomes.

Quick Reference

Human Development Quick Reference

Key Concepts and Reports

Concept Key Figures / Organizations
Human Development Index (HDI) Mahbub ul Haq, Amartya Sen
Capabilities Approach Amartya Sen
Gender Inequality Index (GII) UNDP
Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) OPHI and UNDP

Notes compiled by Geography Team