Development – Different People, Different Goals

Different persons have different notions because each of them seeks different things. They seek things that are most important for them, i.e., which can fulfill their aspirations or desires. Different people have different goals because they are different and they are leading their life in different situation but their general goal is progress. There are two things (a) Different persons can have different development goals. (b) What may be development for one may not be development for other. It may even be distruction for other.

TRADITIONAL NOTION OF DEVELOPMENT:

• With the independence of the third world countries there arose a need for economic development. Till 1960s, the term economic development was generally used as a synonym of economic growth. But now it is no longer considered identical with economic growth.
• Definitely notion about the meaning of term development is changing but it is also a hard fact that there is no unanimity among economists with regard to the meaning on definition of economic development.
• However all agree that economic development is more than the economic growth. Hence it is taken to mean growth plus progressive changes in certain variables of material welfare.

CHANGES IN THE TRADITIONAL NOTION OF DEVELOPMENT:

• The increase in income is not sufficient for a nation. Income can be a major base of economic growth of a nation. But experiences had shown that economic growth could not automatically translated into the improvement of levels of living of the poor masses. Therefore, economists redefined the concept of economic development in terms of the reduction of poverty, unemployment and inequality in the context of a growing economy.
• Now-a-days redistribution and growth have become the popular slogan in most of the progressive nations, including India. The concept of economic growth is related to the increase in output of goods and services in an economy. This can be expressed in two ways: (i) increase in total output or increase in gross domestic product (GDP): and (ii) rise in per capita income or rise in per capita GDP.
• Economic development is a broader concept than economic growth. Development concerns not only man's material needs but also the improvement of social conditions of life. 1t is, therefore, not only economic growth but growth plus change in social, cultural and institutional pattern. It includes both growth aspect and distribution aspect. Development must, therefore, be conceived of as a multidimensional concept.