Global Development — AQA A-Level Sociology
Test yourself on Global Development with AQA A-Level practice questions.
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Global Development explained
This topic examines how different organisations influence development through local and global strategies.
Read the full explanation
Transnational corporations (TNCs) drive global economic strategies by investing in developing nations, creating jobs and infrastructure, though dependency theorists argue they exploit cheap labour and extract profits. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), such as Oxfam, often focus on local, grassroots strategies, providing targeted aid and education directly to communities, empowering them from the bottom up. International agencies, like the World Bank and IMF, implement global strategies by providing large-scale loans and structural adjustment programmes to governments, aiming to stabilise economies, though critics argue these impose harsh austerity. Students must evaluate the effectiveness of these actors.
Your focus
- Explain the distinct roles and motivations of TNCs, NGOs and international agencies in the context of development.
- Distinguish between local and global strategies for development, providing examples of each.
- Evaluate the success and criticisms of these organisations using appropriate sociological perspectives.
Global Development exam tips
Marking Points
- Identify and explain the role of TNCs in global development strategies, such as foreign direct investment, technology transfer and industrialisation.
- Analyse the role of NGOs in implementing local, bottom-up development strategies, focusing on community empowerment, microfinance and targeted relief.
- Evaluate the impact of international agencies on global development through structural adjustment programmes, policy conditions and large-scale infrastructure loans.
- Apply sociological perspectives, such as modernisation theory and dependency theory, to assess whether these organisations promote genuine development or perpetuate global inequality.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Use specific examples of organisations, such as Shell for TNCs, WaterAid for NGOs, and the World Bank for international agencies, to ground your theoretical arguments.
- 💡Contrast the top-down approaches typically favoured by international agencies with the bottom-up approaches frequently championed by NGOs.
- 💡Link the actions of these organisations to broader sociological theories, such as neoliberalism, modernisation and dependency theory, to demonstrate deep analytical understanding.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing NGOs with international agencies. Correction: NGOs are independent, non-profit organisations like Oxfam, whereas international agencies are intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations or the World Bank.
- Assuming TNCs only have negative impacts on development. Correction: While dependency theorists highlight exploitation, modernisation theorists argue TNCs bring essential capital, technology and employment to developing nations.
- Overlooking the distinction between local and global strategies. Correction: Explicitly contrast large-scale, top-down global strategies, such as IMF macroeconomic policies, with small-scale, bottom-up local strategies, such as NGO community health projects.