1- What variables does Rosling use to talk about social well being?
The variables that Rosling use to talk about social well-being are fertility rate, life expectancy at birth, child mortality rate and the length of life.
2- What does he illustrate when he plots social well being variables against economic development (income per capita)?
What Rosling is trying to illustrate in plotting social well-being variables against the GDP per capita is that social well-being factors play a major role in the economic growth of a country. He also points out that there are some countries that are more advanced in terms of health, education and human resources development, than they are economically. He argues that for some countries social progress is more enhanced than economic progress. 3- What is the relevance of carbon emissions in this story?
The relevance of carbon emissions in this story is that the increase in carbon emissions is a result of industrialization. Countries become richer with industrialization. But this is not without consequences. With more factories springing up, more carbon emissions are given out which has resulted to climate change. Furthermore, carbon emissions have affected the health of the people.4- What else do people need to get out of poverty beyond a good income?
Rosling claims that to get out of poverty, technology should be introduced to the poor communities. But even prior to technology, he emphasizes the importance of education so that the poor people can market their products without being cheated. Aside from these factors, Rosling also states that it is important that the people are healthy. The necessary infrastructures should also be built to bring the produce to the market. Moreover, micro-credits should be available to the deprived to finance some of the things they need to work. Information is also an important factor in alleviating poverty.
The dimensions of development are human rights, environment, governance, economic growth, education, health and culture.
Works Cited
Ted.com. "Hans Rosling: New insights on poverty." March 2007. ted.com. Web. 5 February 2014 <http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_reveals_new_insights_on_poverty.html>.
