Social Development
Lingen, Wesley, Rozy, Ashley, Shahin
01 03
Social People center
development development
Definition, Ideology, Gender development
Multidimensional poverty Index
02
Human
04
Analysis &
development Evaluation
Human development index Strengths and limitation
Maslow Hierarchy of needs
“Poverty is
not just a la
money; It i ck of
s not havin
capability t g the
o realize on
potential as e’s full
human bein
—A
g”
martya Sen
01
Social
Development
Definition, Ideology,
Multidimensional poverty
What is Social Development?
This is the process of improving the Key Idea: Social development isn't just
well-being of every individual in society about money or the economy, it’s about
so they can reach their full potential.
people and their quality of life.
It includes:
Access to basic needs (education,
healthcare, shelter, etc.)
Building stronger communities
Promoting equality, dignity, and human
rights
Encouraging participation in society
Ideology Behind Social Development
Every person deserves access to Main Ideology: Human-centered
resources and opportunities and rights-based.
Focus on empowerment, equality, and
social justice
Belief that development should reduce
poverty, discrimination, and exclusion
I feel like the ideology of social
development is about fairness. It asks:
Are people not just surviving, but
thriving?
Multidimensional Poverty (connects
directly to social development)
Multidimensional poverty is when people For example, a child may not be poor in
experience several deprivations at the income, but if they’re malnourished, out
of school, and live without electricity,
same time, not just lack of money. they are still in poverty.”
Dimension Indicators
Health Nutrition, child mortality
Education Years of schooling, school attendance
Living standards Cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water,
electricity, housing, assets.
It helps governments and global institutions target aid and policies more
effectively.
02
Human
Development
Human development
What is it?
Human development is the
process of enlarging people's
freedom and opportunities and
improving their wellbeing.
Human development index
Health – measured by life expectancy at
The Human Development Index birth.
(HDI) is a composite statistic used
to rank countries based on human
development levels. Created by Education – measured by:Mean years of
the United Nations Development schooling (for adults)
Programme (UNDP), it focuses on Expected years of schooling (for children)
three main dimensions
Standard of living – measured by Gross
National Income (GNI) per capita
A score between 0 and 1: The closer to 1, the higher
(adjusted for purchasing power).
the human development.
Countries are ranked as:
Very High (e.g. Norway, Switzerland)
Limitations of HDI
High (e.g. Portugal, Chile) Doesn't account for inequality (e.g., gender,
income gaps).
Medium (e.g. India, Indonesia)
Ignores environmental sustainability.
Low (e.g. Chad, Niger)
Doesn't capture freedom, security, or
mental well-being.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow proposed a
psychological theory that people are
motivated by five levels of needs, usually
shown as a pyramid. Lower-level needs
must be met before higher-level growth
needs.
🧩 Connection to Human
Development
HDI focuses on basic needs like health, education, and income
— this links with the bottom levels of Maslow’s pyramid.
True human development, however, involves higher needs too
— like freedom, empowerment, mental health, and the ability
to reach one's full potential (self-actualization).
03
People-centered
development
Gender development Index
What is PCD and its components?
People-centered development (PCD) is an approach to social
development that focuses on improving local communities'
self-reliance through social justice, participatory decision-making,
and local empowerment.
PCD emphasizes:
● Social justice
● Participatory decision-making
● Local empowerment
● Environmental and social values
● It rejects the idea that economic growth alone leads to human
development.
What is GDI?
The Gender Development Index (GDI) is a measure created by the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to compare gender
equality in human development across countries and regions. It examines
disparities between men and women in three key dimensions
● Health: measured by female and male life expectancy at birth.
● Education: measured by female and male expected years of
schooling for children and female and male mean years of schooling
for adults aged 25 years and older.
● Command over economic resources: measured by female and male
estimated earned income.
https://hdr.undp.org/gender-development-index#/indicies/GDI
04
Analysis &
Evaluation
Strengths and
limitation
Strengths and limitation
Strengths Limitation
● Promotes human-centered and ● Progress is often slow, especially in
inclusive growth, not just economic. low-resource settings.
● Focuses on long-term improvement in ● Difficult to quantify social well-being
health, education, and equality. in a standardized way.
● Encourages participatory ● Often hindered by political instability,
development, where communities have corruption, or weak institutions.
a voice. ● Can be ideologically driven, which
● Recognizes structural inequalities like may not fit all cultures or societies.
gender, class, and access gaps. ● Resource intensive requires time,
● Supports sustainable development data, and long-term commitment.
that includes future generations.
Evaluation
While social development offers a more inclusive and people-centered approach to
progress, it can sometimes clash with the principle of national sovereignty, especially
when international organizations or donors push development agendas that do not
align with local values or political priorities. This raises questions about whether social
development is truly collaborative or if it risks becoming a form of soft external control.
The concept of social development reinforces political legitimacy
when states are able to deliver essential services and improve
quality of life, aligning with the idea that a government’s right to
rule is strengthened by its ability to meet the needs of its people.
However, in weak or corrupt states, the failure to achieve social
development goals can undermine public trust and fuel
instability.
From a realist perspective, the emphasis on human welfare and global development
targets may be seen as idealistic and secondary to power and security interests,
especially in competitive or conflict-prone international environments. Realist states
may prioritize social development in favor of military strength or strategic advantage,
which limits the global application of social development goals.
Liberal theory aligns strongly with social development, as both value individual
freedom, gender equality, human rights, and international cooperation. This
perspective sees development not just as a national goal but as a shared global
responsibility. However, liberalism’s globalist approach can be criticized for
overlooking cultural differences and imposing universal standards that may not fit all
societies.
Thank you!!
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