Lesson Title: Mapping the Core-Periphery Model

Authors: Kathleen C. Anderson & Kenith Ijams

Author Info: Kathleen C. Anderson is a doctoral candidate in the Cognitive Studies Program in Education at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her BA in geography from the University of Washington. Kenith Ijams is a World Geography/World History teacher at Miles Exploratory High School in Tucson, Arizona.

Grade: AP Geography

Continent: All

Key Words: economic development, more developed countries, less developed countries, developing countries, dependency theory, big push theory, stages of development, Rostow's model, core-periphery model, indicators

Time Needed: One or two 50-minute class periods

Overview: This lesson would fit into a unit studying development. It is designed to present traditional economic models of development, namely Rostow's, and to offer some geographic critiques in the form of the core-periphery argument and dependency theory.

Rostow's model of economic development theorizes that all developing countries will pass through five successive stages of growth on their way to becoming industrialized. Rostow's model and other stage models have been criticized because developing countries have in fact not been seen to pass through these stages. Some geographers have critiqued these stage models in an effort to identify their flaws, the largest of which is their failure to recognize the larger geographic context within which developing countries find themselves.

The core-periphery argument is used by geographers as a way to analyze the geographical context of developing countries (Fellman, Getis, and Getis, 1997). Core-periphery models have been used in many different situations by geographers. In this argument, the industrialized countries are identified as the core and the developing countries are the periphery.

Due to the significance of this geographic separation, geographers have argued that the core has continued to develop and industrialize by drawing resources from the periphery, leaving the developing countries without the means or the resources to develop. A definite North - South distinction became evident. It soon became apparent that the development gap between the most and the least economically developed countries widened instead of narrowing over time. This cycle is known as dependency theory and comes out of the belief that neocolonialism is responsible for resources to continue to flow from the less developed periphery to the industrialized core.

In the section entitled, Teacher Preparation, we have included a list of resources from which teachers could broaden their understanding of these concepts.

Definition of Key Terms:
development : the extent to which the resources of an area or country have been brought into full productive use. It may also carry in common usage the implications of economic growth, modernization, and improvement in levels of material production and consumption.

indicators of development : gross national product, per capital income, energy consumption, nutritional levels, labor force etc.

underdevelopment : from a strictly economic point of view, suggests the possibility or desirability of applying additional capital, labor, or technology to the resource base of an area to permit the present population to improve its material well-being.

MDC : is a more developed country that has progressed relatively far along the development continuum.

LDC : is a less developed country that is at a relatively early stage in the process of development.

Gross National Product : is the value of a country's total goods and services produced in a given time period, usually in one year.

circular and cumulative causation : a process set in motion that continues to polarize development and leads to a permanent division between prosperous (and dominating) cores and depressed (and exploited) peripheral districts that are milked of surplus labor, raw materials and profits.

human capital : an ill-defined composite of skills, habits, schooling, and knowledge that contributes to successful economic development and sustained growth.

neocolonialism : is the entrenchment of the colonial order, such as trade and investment, under a new guise.

Rostow's Model of economic development : In the 1960's, the economist W.W. Rostow presented a model for economic development in which he proposed that all developing countries must pass through five successive stages of growth. J.M. Rubenstein, in An Introduction To Human Geography , fifth edition, 1996, explains them as follows:
1. The Traditional Society. Rostow uses this term to define a country that has not yet started a process of development. A traditional society contains a very high percentage of people engaged in agriculture and a high percentage of national wealth allocated to what Rostow calls "non productive" activities, such as the military and religion.

2. The Preconditions for Take-Off. According to Rostow, the process of development begins when an elite group initiates innovative economic activities. Under the influence of these well-educated leaders, the country starts to invest in new technology and infrastructure, such as water supplies and transportation systems. These projects will ultimately stimulate an increase in productivity.

3. The Take-Off. Rapid growth is generated in a limited number of economic activities, such as textiles or food products. These few take-off industries achieve technical advances and become productive, while other sectors of the economy remain dominated by traditional practices.

4. The Drive to Maturity. Modern technology, previously confined to a few take-off industries, diffuses to a wide variety of industries, which then experience rapid growth comparable to the take-off industry. Workers become more skilled and specialized.

5. The Age of Mass Consumption. The economy shifts from production of heavy industry, such as steel and energy, to consumer goods, like motor vehicles and refrigerators.

stage theory of economic development :
1. A pre-industrial society with localized, self-sufficient economies.
2. The core-periphery stage (where we still are)
3. Dispersion of economic activity and the passing of control of portions of the economy into parts of the periphery.
4. Creation of spatial integration in which the spatially separate and fully developed components of the economy relate in an interdependent fashion.

dependency theory : The theory that industrialized nations continue to take resources from developing countries due to neocolonialism, widening the development gap.

big push theory : This theory concludes that developing countries can break out of their poverty trap by investing in high-wage industries and infrastructure. As employees receive higher wages, the consumer base expands because they can afford to buy more goods. This encourages the creation of additional supporting industries to fill consumer demand and, in turn, creates more jobs. Prices lower due to the increase in production, meaning that more people can afford to buy the goods. This cycle increases development.

core-periphery models : are based on the observation that within many spatial systems sharp territorial contrasts exist in wealth, economic advancement, and growth-"development"- between economic heartlands and outlying subordinate zones.

Objectives: Students will be able to:
1. Identify measures of development.
2. Interpret and use population data to classify countries according to their level of economic development.
3. Create a choropleth map using raw data.
4. Understand the geographic implications of the core-periphery model.
5. Understand identified models of development and geographic critique.

Materials:
1. Population Reference Bureau Data Sheet. (1875 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 520; Washington D.C.; 20009-5728 USA; (202) 483-1100; popref@prb.org; http://www.prb.org/prb/)
2. Blank world outline map
3. Colored pencils
4. Lined paper

Preparation:
1) This activity should begin the unit on development.
2) The teacher should be aware that there are additional indicators beyond those found on the Population Reference Bureau Data Sheet that can be found in textbooks.
3) The teacher should be familiar with the core-periphery model, Rostow's model of economic development, and the different indicators of development.

Additional Readings:
Fellmann, J. Getis, A. Getis, J. (1996). Human Geography: Landscapes of Human Activities . Fifth edition. Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark.

Chisholm, M. (1982). Modern World Development: A Geographical Perspective. Totowa, N.J.: Barnes and Noble.

Forbes, D.K. (1984). The Geography of Underdevelopment: A Critical Survey . Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Activities:
1. As a class, discuss the indicators of development. Have students look at the PRB Data Sheet to discuss which factors might be an indicator of a level of development and why. Ask: Are there any indicators that are missing?
2. Take a few sample countries from the PRB Data Sheet and discuss the values for each of the indicators. Look at the top of the PRB Data Sheet where values are listed.
Look at the values for more developed countries (MDC) versus less developed countries(LDC). Which categories do your countries fit into? Why? Are there any discrepancies?
3. Have students get into small groups of twos or threes. Have each group discuss which indicators from the PRB Data Sheet they would like to use and why.
4. Have students take out a sheet of paper and write down the regions listed on the PRB Data Sheet.
5. Using the data gathered, students are to create categories for each of the regions according to levels of development. Students may choose either to use the three categories of: 1) least developed, 2) developing, 3) industrialized or they may choose to use the two categories of: 1) more developed countries (MDC), and 2) less developed countries (LDC).

Teacher Notes:
a. The pros and cons of the two different ways to categorize should be a class discussion prior to undertaking this part of the assignment. Either choice will work .
b. Have the students work in small groups or with a partner. This will facilitate the process and provide discussion partners.
c. Discuss the principals for classifying data in choropleth maps, (i.e., natural breaks)
d. Have the class discuss which indicators should be used and why.
e. Encourage the class to really work with the data being sure to discuss the implications.
f. Have the class discuss and decide how to classify the regions according to the chosen categories.

6. Once students have classified their regions, have them list them on a separate piece of paper in order by category. Begin to discuss some of the cartographic principles involved in making a choropleth map. Discuss filling options, and overall map design. The map should have all of the TODALS (Title, Orientation, Date, Author, Legend, Scale).
7. Distribute a blank map of the world to each student. (The larger the map, the better).
8. Have students create their map using the gathered information.
9. Once the maps are completed, discuss the implications of the pattern. Tell the students to draw a line separating developed and developing countries using their data to guide them. Discuss the general location of this line as drawn by the students on their maps. You can explain to the students that this line occurs at approximately 30 degrees N and is known as the Brandt Line. Ask:
a. What are the geographic implications of the north/south split revealed by this map?
b. Why might the pattern on this map be a geographic critique of Rostow's model of development? Ask students to consider if development levels might be different if developed and less developed countries were more geographically intertwined.
c. What problems of development might this geographic pattern imply? Discuss core-periphery model.
d. What limitations might the core-periphery model have as a geographic critique of economic models of development. What are some other critiques?

Extensions:

1. Using computers. Have students use a spreadsheet program for their data and a GIS program to make their map.
2. Using other indicators besides the ones given on the PRB Data Sheet. Go into a more in depth discussion about measures of development.
3. PRB Web site has additional activities (http://www.prb.org/prb/).


Evaluation: Data sheets and core-periphery choropleth maps should be turned in and graded for completeness, accuracy and neatness.



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