23 Feb Middle East Turmoil Raises Questions on Conceptualization, Measurement of Development
Posted at 15:48h
in News
Ivy Mungcal, Devex
The protests sweeping the Middle East and North Africa prompt questions on how the international community conceptualize, promote and measure development, according to a U.K.-based researcher.
Alasdair McWilliam of the Overseas Development Institute notes that several of the countries where those demonstrations are happening, including Tunisia and Egypt, have shown rapid progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and ranked high in global indices of human development. These indicators of improvements in living standards, however, have failed to address the needs and aspirations of citizens as evidenced in the massive protests in those countries, he adds.