Geography terms in Human development and diversity

Policies that give members of disadvantaged groups preferential access to education, jobs, contracts or political office, such as quotas or reserved seats, to reduce inequality caused by past and present discrimination.

A movement that supports international co-operation and global links but seeks an alternative form of globalisation based on social justice, workers’ rights and environmental protection rather than free markets alone.

A network of producers, traders and consumers that trades outside or alongside mainstream markets on agreed social and environmental terms, such as Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance or direct trade.

The spread of the culture, products, brands, media and values of the United States to other countries, often seen as a form of cultural imperialism.

A broad, loosely organised social movement that opposes economic globalisation, especially free trade, the power of transnational corporations and the policies of international economic institutions such as the WTO, IMF and World Bank.

A political or social movement that seeks to reduce or stop immigration, or to restrict the rights of migrants, through campaigning, voting, protest and sometimes violence.

A process in which a minority or migrant group adopts the language, customs and values of the majority society and loses much of its distinct culture.

The human-made surroundings in which people live and work, including buildings, streets, public spaces and infrastructure.

A view of development, associated with Amartya Sen, that judges progress by people’s real freedoms to be and do what they value, rather than by income alone.

The suppression or control of speech, writing, media or online content by a government or other authority that considers it harmful, offensive or a threat to security or public order.

The reporting of news, images and video by members of the public rather than professional journalists, usually shared through social media.

A system in which consumers pay a farm in advance for a share of its produce for the season, so that consumers and the farmer share the risks and rewards of production.

The spread of cultural traits, ideas and products from their place of origin to other places and peoples, through migration, trade, media, tourism and the internet.

The variety of cultures, languages, ethnicities and identities found in a place, from the local to the global scale.

The creation of new cultural forms, such as foods, music, languages or festivals, by mixing traits from two or more cultures.

The spread and dominance of one society’s culture, products and values over others, through economic and political power, so that local cultures are weakened or replaced.

A landscape shaped by the people who live in it, whose buildings, land uses, signs and sacred sites show their culture and how it changes.

A single element of a culture, such as a language, a religious practice, a food, a style of dress, a type of music or a custom.

The shared beliefs, values, customs, practices, language and material goods of a group of people, learned and passed on from one generation to the next.

A graph that plots four development indicators on four axes from a common centre, so that the shapes of the diamonds drawn for two or more places can be compared.

The difference in wealth, wellbeing and opportunity between the most and least developed places or groups, between countries or within one country.

A measurable statistic, such as life expectancy, school enrolment or GNI per capita, used to describe and compare one aspect of the level of development of a place.

The legal status of a person who is a citizen of two countries at the same time, with the rights and duties of both.

A process in which a company identifies, prevents, reduces and accounts for the harm its own operations and its supply chain cause to people and the environment.

A process in which people, especially groups who have been excluded, gain the power, resources, rights and confidence to make choices and influence decisions that affect their lives.

A language at risk of falling out of use, usually because children no longer learn it from their parents as their first language.

Membership of a group of people who share, or believe they share, a common ancestry, history, culture and often language or religion.

The general idea of trading partnerships that pay producers in poorer countries a fair price and offer fair working conditions, of which certified Fairtrade is one system.

The certified trading system run by Fairtrade International, which guarantees certified producers a minimum price and an extra Fairtrade Premium, and labels their products with the Fairtrade Mark.

A composite index published by the UNDP that measures inequality between women and men in reproductive health, empowerment and labour market participation, from 0 (equality) to 1 (extreme inequality).

The worldwide spread of South Korean popular culture, including K-pop, television dramas, films, food and beauty products, since the late 1990s.

A process in which places and cultures become more alike, as global products, brands, media and building styles replace local differences.

A process of enlarging people’s freedoms and capabilities, so that they can live long, healthy, educated and secure lives of their own choosing; wider than economic growth.

The way a person or group understands who they are and how they belong, built from characteristics such as ethnicity, nationality, religion, language, gender and place; often multiple and changing.

A government limit on the quantity or value of a particular good that may be imported over a given period.

A development strategy in which a country protects and builds up domestic industries to replace imported goods, usually behind high tariffs and quotas.

A version of the HDI, published by the UNDP since 2010, that discounts each dimension for inequality between people, so that it falls further below the HDI the more unequal a country is.

An attitude of openness to and curiosity about other cultures, perspectives and global issues, combined with respect for others and a sense of responsibility for the wider world.

The ability of people to access, use and publish on the internet without censorship, shutdowns, unlawful surveillance or punishment for lawful online expression.

An intentional disruption of internet or mobile data access, or of particular online services, by a government or other authority, making them unavailable or unusable for a population or area.

Deliberate efforts to halt the decline of an endangered language and increase its number of speakers, for example through schools, broadcasting and official status.

A currency, usually backed by the national currency, that can be spent only with participating businesses in a particular town or region, intended to keep spending within the local economy.

The practice of buying food, goods and services from producers in the same locality or region rather than from distant suppliers, to support the local economy and reduce dependence on global supply chains.

A term coined by George Ritzer in 1993 for the spread of the fast-food restaurant’s principles of efficiency, calculability, predictability and control to more and more of society and the world.

Very small loans, usually without collateral, made to people on low incomes to start or expand a small enterprise; the lending part of microfinance.

The provision of small-scale financial services, including loans, savings, insurance and money transfers, to people on low incomes who are excluded from conventional banks.

A group of people who differ from the majority of a population in ethnicity, religion, language or another identity and who usually hold less power, whatever their numbers.

A society, or a policy, in which several cultural or ethnic groups live together and keep their distinct identities, with equal rights and mutual respect.

An index developed by OPHI and the UNDP in 2010 that counts people deprived in at least a third of ten weighted indicators of health, education and living standards.

Any restriction on imports other than a tariff, such as a quota, licence, product standard, customs procedure or preference for domestic suppliers.

A political approach that claims to represent “the people” against an elite seen as corrupt or self-serving, often promising simple solutions to complex problems; it can be combined with left-wing or right-wing ideas.

A government policy of restricting imports, through tariffs, quotas, subsidies or other barriers, to protect domestic producers and jobs from foreign competition.

The movement of migrants back to their country or place of origin, temporarily or permanently, after living elsewhere.

Low-effort online support for a cause, such as liking or sharing a post, that makes participants feel involved but may have little effect on the issue itself.

A business approach that uses trading and enterprise to achieve a social or environmental purpose, reinvesting most profits in that purpose rather than paying them to owners.

The use of social media platforms to raise awareness of an issue, mobilise supporters and put pressure on governments, companies or other institutions.

A microcredit method in which borrowers form small groups that meet regularly and support each other’s repayments, so that peer pressure replaces collateral.

A factory or workshop in which employees work long hours for very low pay in poor or unsafe conditions, often making goods for export under contract to large brands.

A tax charged on imported goods, usually as a percentage of their value, which raises their price relative to domestically produced goods.

An economic conflict in which countries impose tariffs or other trade barriers on each other’s goods, each responding to the other’s measures with new ones.

The process in which migrants keep social, economic, cultural and political ties across national borders, living their lives in more than one country at once.

A voluntary United Nations initiative launched in 2000 in which companies commit to ten principles on human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption, and report on their progress.

A service that sends a user’s internet traffic through an encrypted connection to a server elsewhere, hiding its content and destination and allowing users to reach blocked websites.

Dislike, fear or hostility towards people from other countries or cultures, which can lead to discrimination, harassment and violence against migrants.