Biz/ed - Development Strategies - Activity

This Activity is designed to be used in the classroom or as a homework task to support the teaching and learning of Development Strategies.

Development Strategies - Activity

Having had a reputation for not travelling abroad (apart from Brussels and the United States), Gordon Brown, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, undertook an extended tour of Africa in January 2005, taking in South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya.

Mr Brown is known for his commitment to greater social justice in the UK - something which, according to political commentators, marks a fundamental difference in policy aims between Mr Blair and himself. Mr Brown's visit to Africa came at a time when the UK took the presidency of the G7 group of leading industrial countries, an opportunity for the UK to set the agenda in terms of world issues.

A sleeping orphan at Otino-Waa Orphanage in war-torn northern Uganda.

Image: Mr Brown's visit exposed him to the realities of poverty and economic despair in some of the poorest countries in Africa. Title: A sleeping orphan at Otino-Waa Orphanage in war-torn northern Uganda. Copyright: Evan Earwicker, stock.xchng

Mr Brown is keen to transfer his beliefs to the world stage and his visit to Africa was part of the moves to help reduce poverty and boost economic development in some of the poorest countries in the world.

During his visit, he announced a series of initial steps that the UK had unilaterally instituted to help relieve some of the debt burden of some of these countries. Mr Brown is keen to persuade other leading nations to follow Britain's lead.

A village market in Sierra Leone.

Image: The challenges facing countries such as Sierra Leone are massive - will debt relief be an important step in the process or yet another promise of a false dawn?
Copyright: Dave Dyet, stock.xchng

The Task

Using the list of links below on Gordon Brown's visit (or any other source you are familiar with), find out what Mr Brown's plans were for helping reduce poverty and boosting economic development. Summarise the plans in your own words.
Describe the process by which the plans Mr Brown outlined would be expected to lead to economic development. Your answer should refer to relevant theories on economic development where appropriate.
Part of Mr Brown's plans were to persuade other countries to follow Britain's lead - to what extent is this important in having any lasting effect on the potential for economic development in developing countries?
Is any one development strategy to be preferred over another in helping to reduce poverty and boost economic development? Justify your answer.
If all developed countries had cancelled their debts from African countries, to what extent would this have helped solve the problem of poverty and improve economic development?