Development Indicators

I believe development indicators can be a precursor to wealth. In the TED talk, there was a clear positive correlation between items like life expectancy and GDP, hence there is a correlation between a developmental indicator and wealth. However, the word “can” is pertinent to the previous assertion because if the breadth of the measurement is too broad the correlation is no longer applicable. Although it seems irrational to me to assume that data about Africa as a whole would apply to all people and places equally within the continent, given what was presented in the video, many see it in this manner. Evidently, the top 20% of citizens in South Africa live a drastically different life than those of the bottom 20% of citizens in Nigeria, discounting the applicability of any of that data to a specific person or population. On the other hand, if the data was ascertained from and related to a small group of individuals, the indicators would more appropriately predict certain trends. Therefore, such correlations could prove to be useful tools in making conclusions about specific areas, as opposed to the inefficiencies of doing such in regards to entire continents and countries.

On a seemingly unrelated note, I have actually watched this TED Talk before in AP Environmental Science. In that class, we watched it in order to understand the trends of global population growth, birth rates, and income inequality around the world. We did not watch the whole video and stopped before Rosling compared GDP per capita and child survival rates. Therefore, my reaction the first time I watched the video is very different than I feel now, for the frame of mind in which I watched was very different. Last year I saw this video as simply interesting statistics tracking a shift in population growth and affluence around the world. I took the numbers at face value and did not question the validity of the correlations (which Rosling discusses in more detail later in the video) and the importance of making this data readily available. I thought this shift in myself was interesting.

Finally, I think Rosling’s plan to make said data accessible could potentially backfire. If used by certain organizations or individuals I foresee the possibility of sweeping generalizations being made which is contrary to some of the points Rosling made. Nonetheless, I still believe Rosling should continue his data crusade, for the proper use of his planned site could also result in overwhelming positive impacts if used thoughtfully.