Topic / economics

Development Economics

Growth, poverty, institutions and the wider process of improving living standards.

Core exam brief

Know the idea before you use the evidence.

Definition

Economic development is a broad improvement in living standards, capabilities and economic structure, not simply a rise in GDP.

Chain of analysis

Investment in health, education, infrastructure and productive capacity can raise productivity, incomes and human development over time.

Evaluation trigger

Use measures beyond GDP and consider inequality, governance, debt, commodity dependence, informality and environmental sustainability.

Analysis and example bank

11 June 2026 · Developing economies / Global

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World Bank forecasts developing-economy growth slowing to 3.6% in 2026

The World Bank's June 2026 Global Economic Prospects forecast developing-economy growth slowing from 4.4% in 2025 to 3.6% in 2026. More importantly for A-Level evaluation, the Bank said developing economies excluding China and India are approaching a decade with almost no progress in narrowing the per-capita income gap with advanced economies. This makes the release a strong growth-versus-development case.

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The World Bank Group headquarters in Washington, D.C.

13 August 2026 · United Kingdom

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UK output per hour rose 0.7% year on year in Q2 2026

ONS’s preferred RTI-based estimate showed UK output per hour 0.7% higher in Q2 2026 than a year earlier and output per worker 1.4% higher. The alternative LFS-based estimate was weaker, making measurement uncertainty a ready-made evaluation point.

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A team on a modern factory floor in Silicon Valley