How to Use This Book

Because all development issues are intricately interrelated, there is no single, best sequence in which to study them. Thus the structure of this book allows the readers to start with almost any chapter that they might find the most intriguing. The author, however, would advise not skipping Chapters 1 and 2 since they serve as a general introduction to the book and present some important basic concepts on which the following chapters build. Note also that Chapters 15, 16, and 17 can be read as a continuation of the conceptual discussion started in the first two chapters. The other chapters, devoted to particular development issues, will then allow you to continue considering the same general issues in a more concrete manner.

As you read this book, you should keep in mind the multiplicity of interconnections among all aspects of sustainable development. . In some cases, these interconnections will be explicitly pointed out in the text (see cross references to other chapters), while in others readers may need to identify them on their own. Questions in the margins are intended to help readers see the larger and more complex picture behind the specific data.

Suppose you are most interested in environmental issues. Chapters 10 and 14 are devoted to two different environmental challenges: local particulate air pollution in large cities and global air pollution from carbon dioxide emissions. But to gain a better understanding of these issues you will also need to read about population growth and economic growth (Chapters 3 and 4), industrialization and postindustrialization (Chapter 9), income inequality and poverty (Chapters 5 and 6), and health and longevity (Chapter 8). These are the most obvious links, and they are relatively easy to identify while reading the environmental chapters. You could also, however, look into links with all the other chapters in the book. For example, how does globalization (Chapters 12 and 13) affect air pollution in large cities in developed and developing countries? Or how does globalization help international efforts to minimize the risk of global climate change? You could then explore the links between privatization and energy efficiency (Chapter 11) or between education (Chapter 7) and environmental protection. Eventually, it becomes clear that development is so comprehensive that understanding any one issue inevitably requires studying all the rest.

Although teachers of various school subjects can use this book to help their students understand specific development issues, students should always be made aware that no single issue exists in isolation from the others. Ideally, teachers would use most or all of the book's content to build one or more learning modules centered around given curricular topics. For example, an Air Pollution module might look like this:

Air Pollution

1. Introduction: Concepts of "development" and "sustainable development"--Chapters 1, 2, and 16
2. Local and global air pollution--Chapters 10 and 14
3. What are the major causes of the increasing air pollution?
   - Population growth—Chapter 3
   - Economic growth—Chapter 4
   - Industrialization—Chapter 9
   - Urbanization—Chapter 10
   - Income inequality—Chapter 5
   - Poverty—Chapter 6
4. Aggravating factors or new opportunities?
   - International trade—Chapter 12
   - Foreign investment—Chapter 13
   - Foreign aid—Chapter 13
   - Privatization—Chapter 11
5. Air pollution as a threat to development sustainability:
   - Healthy environment as one of the goals of development—Chapters 1 and 17
   - Natural capital as a component of national wealth—Chapter 16
   - The role of government policies—Chapter 17.

You will notice that most of a module's components can be formulated as questions for discussion. It is up to the reader to conclude whether, for example, the effects of economic growth are more detrimental to the environment than are the effects of poverty or whether foreign investment in developing countries contributes to pollution rather than helps reduce it. The book provides helpful (although not exhaustive) data and concepts but does not provide any easy answers.

When discussing questions arising from this book, it is important to make full use of the statistics contained in the data tables (at the end of this book). Comparing data on different countries and looking for correlation among various indicators can often provide more insights and food for thought than simply reading a text.

The author hopes that the discussions generated by this book will help readers understand how global and national development relate to issues in their own lives, and that this understanding will lead to practical action at the local level. Teachers, youth leaders, and other educators can use this book to inform discussion about local development challenges not only among their students but also among parents and other community members. Students can use the knowledge gained to make better-informed life choices and to become more active, involved citizens of their country as well as global citizens.

The World Bank Institute’s Development Education Program encourages young people and educators around the world to visit its web site and send us their feedback including queries, opinions, and concerns.

For more information and learning materials on issues of sustainable development, visit our web sites at www.worldbank.org/depweb and www.worldbank.org/wbi/developmenteducation. Please send comments to dep@worldbank.org.