Literacy is essential for social development.
Social development is the process that improves the quality of life of the members of a community. It is about the progress that is achieved when all members of society can satisfy their basic needs and exploit their potential to progress.
The idea of development refers to an evolution, an advancement or growth. Social, meanwhile, is that linked to society: the set of individuals who live according to common rules.
It must be considered that social development is collective . It has nothing to do with the eventual progress of a citizen, but with the empowerment of the whole through a drop in poverty rates and other factors.
Features of social development
The concept of social development covers all issues related to a reduction in exclusion and vulnerability . That is, these are the actions and measures that favor social inclusion.
The notion refers to both the process and the result or even the objective. Governments seek to promote social development with the goal of providing better living conditions for all inhabitants , privileging those who suffer from inequality. In this way, community cohesion is also promoted.
It should be noted that poverty goes beyond low or no income. It implies living in contexts of greater violence and not participating in community decision-making, for example. The lack of adequate access to education and public health, living in precarious housing and not having a job are other realities that impede development.
For this reason, public policies generally aim to promote social well-being by fighting poverty and inequality . The State must guarantee that all people can count on public services and appropriate infrastructure for a dignified life.
It can be indicated that social development maintains a close link with human rights . As the coverage of these elementary rights expands, a society advances. That is why social protection to guarantee certain basic issues (such as proper nutrition and the availability of drinking water) is essential for the progress of the community.
Social development requires adequate management of natural resources.
Concept analysis
When a society develops, its members manage to live better in material but also symbolic terms. The institutions of a developed society are strong and stable and there also tends to be greater harmony among the inhabitants.
Social development is achieved through progress in many areas. Economic development is the most obvious factor: it is related to the ability to generate wealth. But human development (improving citizens' capabilities so that they have more opportunities for progress) and community development (the intervention of all people to carry out joint actions and thus solve common problems) are also important. Likewise, sustainable development is sought, which means growing without violating the preservation of nature or cultural heritage.
To promote social development, it is necessary to manage risks, minimize the negative impact of certain actions and enhance the positive results of others. Although the role of the State is key, social development can also be promoted with citizen participation, volunteer work, the efforts of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and even through corporate social responsibility programs. Social assistance and humanitarian aid , in this framework, can be provided through public-private partnerships.
It must be emphasized that the idea of social development can be understood in different ways, as well as its purpose. Some currents maintain that social development must seek to reproduce the living conditions that exist in industrialized countries . Other positions, however, emphasize the need to adapt it to the characteristics of the nation.
However, the United Nations ( UN ) recognizes the existence of desirable objectives, independent of the society in question. It is possible to name the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) as goals, which include zero hunger and gender equality.
The fight against corruption contributes to social development.
Examples of social development
Let's take the case of a government that, to promote financial inclusion , offers the possibility of having a savings bank without opening or maintenance costs in a public bank. In this way, anyone who wishes can enter the banking system, have a debit card and have the possibility of accessing credit. This promotes social development.
Let's think about an NGO that, faced with the high unemployment rate in a city, begins to develop various job training initiatives. Its objective is that people who do not have a job, through better professional training, have a better chance of getting one. The organization, with its initiative, contributes to social development.
The defense of multiculturalism and cultural identity is also part of social development. In this context, a civil association that defends indigenous rights contributes to social development by fighting discrimination and exclusion.