Geography GCSE
Top-down development
What Top-down development means in Geography GCSE, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Top-down development
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Large-scale, expensive projects driven by national governments or international organisations, often with little consultation with local people.
Large-scale, capital-intensive development projects planned by governments or international agencies.
Large-scale, capital-intensive development projects funded and managed by governments or TNCs.
Topics that use Top-down development
- A range of strategies has been used to try to address uneven development (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- Definitions of development vary as do attempts to measure it (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- The level of development varies globally (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
- Appropriate technology
- Bottom-up development
- Core-Periphery Model
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita
- Human Development Index (HDI)
- Development
- Bilateral aid
- Brandt Line
Using Top-down development in the exam
Definition questions usually carry one or two marks, and examiners look for the precise wording. Write the definition from memory, check it against the version above, and then use the term in a longer answer on the same topic so it sticks.
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