Energy access in Darsana

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

Text A — Electricity and well-being

1. Many rural households in Darsana lack reliable electricity and use wood for cooking. Indoor air pollution contributes to respiratory illness and households spend many hours collecting fuel.

2. An energy indicator can measure access to electricity, clean cooking, energy use per person or the renewable share of energy. The government warns that total energy use alone may not reveal whether energy is accessible or sustainable.

3. Darsana’s economic well-being has improved in cities, where electricity supports refrigeration, digital communication and productive activity. Rural progress has been slower.

Text B — Hydroelectric project

1. A proposed hydroelectric dam would increase renewable electricity and create construction jobs. It may also displace communities and damage river ecosystems.

2. The government expects electricity to improve schooling, healthcare and business productivity. Critics argue that the project’s national benefits could conceal severe local costs.

Table 1 — Energy access

Energy access indicators in Darsana, 2020 and 2025.

Table 2 — Income and health

Income and health indicators for Darsana, 2020 and 2025.

Gender and development in Coralia

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

Text A — Unequal opportunities

1. Coralia’s technology sector has generated rapid economic growth. Nevertheless, women remain under-represented in parliament and senior employment, while maternal mortality remains high in rural areas.

2. The government uses the Gender Inequality Index (GII) to monitor disadvantages in reproductive health, empowerment and labour-market participation. A lower value is considered an improvement.

3. Coralia also publishes an Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI). The gap between HDI and IHDI remains substantial because health, education and income achievements are unevenly distributed.

Text B — Proposed policies

1. The government plans to provide maternal healthcare, scholarships for girls and childcare services. It expects these policies to increase female labour-force participation and economic security.

2. Some businesses oppose the additional taxes needed to finance the policies. They argue that higher business costs could reduce investment, while supporters expect a healthier and better-educated workforce to raise productivity.

Table 1 — Gender indicators

Gender indicators for Coralia, 2019 and 2024.

Table 2 — Human development indicators

Human development indicators for Coralia, 2019 and 2024.

Sustainable well-being in Estavia

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

Text A — Beyond national income

1. Estavia has high income per person, long life expectancy and strong reported life satisfaction. However, transport and housing consume large quantities of energy.

2. Researchers use the Happy Planet Index (HPI) to assess how efficiently Estavia converts environmental resources into long and satisfying lives. The government also reports carbon emissions separately.

3. Environmental groups argue that present consumption is inconsistent with sustainability because it depletes natural resources and imposes costs on future generations.

Text B — Green transition

1. The government plans taxes on fossil fuels and subsidies for public transport. These policies may lower emissions but could raise living costs for rural households lacking alternatives.

2. Investment in renewable energy could create employment and reduce pollution. Its success will depend on distributional effects, infrastructure and public acceptance.

Table 1 — Well-being and ecological indicators

Well-being indicators for Estavia in 2020 and 2025.

Table 2 — Income and emissions

Income and carbon dioxide emissions in Estavia, 2020 and 2025.

Education outcomes in Faron

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

Text A — Enrolment and learning

1. Faron has achieved almost universal primary-school enrolment. However, many pupils are absent during harvest seasons and national tests reveal weak literacy.

2. The government uses single indicators such as enrolment, literacy and mean years of schooling. Officials recognize that each measure answers a different question and that enrolment does not measure teaching quality.

3. Faron’s per capita income has increased because of growth in commercial agriculture. The average conceals substantial regional and household differences.

Text B — Education policy

1. The government plans teacher training, school meals and improved rural transport. These policies may increase attendance, learning and future productivity.

2. Financing the programme requires resources currently used for other public services. Benefits may also take several years to affect measured output.

Table 1 — Education indicators

Education indicators in Faron, 2020 and 2025.

Table 2 — Income and inequality

Income and inequality indicators for Faron, 2020 and 2025.

Growth without inclusion in Galenia

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

Text A — Export-led growth

1. Galenia’s offshore petroleum industry has increased real GDP and exports. The sector is capital-intensive, employs few local workers and imports much of its equipment.

2. Government officials emphasize economic growth, while civil-society organizations argue that development also requires improvements in health, education, equity and security.

3. Petroleum revenue has increased the government’s capacity to fund services, but weak administration has delayed projects. Income gains are concentrated among skilled urban workers.

Text B — Measuring inclusion

1. Galenia’s HDI has risen, but its IHDI remains much lower. Rural communities experience poor sanitation, limited schooling and unreliable electricity.

2. Petroleum extraction has also caused coastal pollution. The government is deciding whether to save more revenue for future generations or expand current social spending.

Table 1 — Output and employment

Galenia’s output, population and unemployment in 2020 and 2024.

Table 2 — Development and inequality

Development and inequality indicators in Galenia, 2020 and 2024.

Uneven development in Aruna

Aruna has experienced sustained economic growth. However, some observers argue that the benefits have not been distributed equally. Rural communities have limited access to healthcare and electricity, while air pollution in major cities has increased.

Table 1 provides selected economic and development indicators for Aruna.

Selected economic and development indicators for Aruna, 2022 and 2024.

Gender inequality in Belpa

Belpa's average income and school enrolment have increased, but women continue to experience lower labour-market participation and political representation than men. The government is considering whether to expand subsidized childcare, maternal healthcare or secondary education for girls.

Table 1 provides selected gender and development indicators.

Selected gender and development indicators for Belpa

Table 2 provides estimated annual costs and coverage of two proposed programmes.

Table 2: Proposed programmes in Belpa. Available additional annual budget: USD 100 million.

Electricity access and educational outcomes in Deltora

Deltora's government aims to achieve universal electricity access. Access remains particularly low in remote areas, where households rely on expensive and polluting fuels. The government argues that rural electrification could also improve education and productive opportunities.

Table 1 provides data for three mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive regions of Deltora. For the first three rows, the electricity-access percentages are shares of each region's population; use the listed regional populations for both years.

Deltora's regional population, electricity access and educational outcomes

Table 2 provides income and purchasing-power information.

Purchasing-power data for Deltora.

Comparing development in Harapan and Isola

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

Text A — Different rankings

1. Harapan has lower income than Isola but stronger public healthcare and lower emissions. Isola has a larger financial sector and higher average income, but income inequality is substantial.

2. Analysts use purchasing power parity (PPP) to compare the countries because market exchange rates do not reflect differences in local prices.

3. The countries receive similar HDI scores, yet their results differ when inequality and environmental pressures are considered. This illustrates the multidimensional nature of development.

Text B — Choosing indicators

1. Harapan favours health, education and low-carbon infrastructure. Isola argues that higher income provides households and governments with more choices.

2. Researchers warn that rankings depend on component selection, normalization, weights, data reliability and the purpose of comparison.

Table 1 — Income, health and education

Income, health and education indicators for Harapan and Isola.

Table 2 — Composite, distributional and environmental measures

Composite, distributional and environmental measures for Harapan and Isola.

Data quality in Jandor

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

Text A — Measuring an informal economy

1. A large share of Jandor’s agricultural and household production is not recorded. Survey coverage is weakest in remote regions, and population estimates are revised infrequently.

2. Officials publish GDP per person as the main development indicator. Researchers argue that omitted informal production and inaccurate population data reduce its reliability.

3. Jandor also publishes a composite indicator, combining several normalized measures into one index. Missing health data are estimated using older surveys.

Text B — Interpreting recent changes

1. Recorded GDP fell after factories closed, while carbon emissions also declined. The government claimed that lower emissions represented environmental progress, but unemployment and poverty increased.

2. A new household survey suggests that health and education outcomes differ sharply by region. Economists recommend publishing disaggregated data and confidence intervals rather than relying only on national averages.

Table 1 — Recorded output and population

Recorded output, population and unemployment in Jandor.

Table 2 — Social and environmental indicators

Social and environmental indicators in Jandor, 2021 and 2024.

Redistribution and development in Kintala

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

Text A — Development with near-stagnant real GDP

1. Kintala’s real GDP remained almost unchanged for three years. The government nevertheless expanded primary healthcare by redirecting expenditure from administrative buildings.

2. A progressive cash-transfer programme reduced severe deprivation. Supporters claim that improved equity can raise development without an immediate increase in total output.

3. Critics emphasize the opportunity cost of redistribution and argue that higher taxes may weaken incentives. The government expects healthier children to become more productive adults.

Text B — Outcomes and constraints

1. Rural vaccination and nutrition improved, while income inequality declined. Public debt limits the government’s ability to expand all programmes simultaneously.

2. Economists argue that better health and education could eventually support growth, creating a two-way relationship between growth and development.

Table 1 — Output and distribution

Output and income distribution in Kintala

Table 2 — Health and education

Health and education indicators in Kintala, 2021 and 2024.

Selecting a development index for Lumora

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

Text A — Competing priorities

1. Lumora has improved average health and education, but women’s political representation and labour-force participation remain low. Coastal tourism also creates a large ecological footprint.

2. The government currently emphasizes the HDI, while equality organizations prefer the GII and environmental groups prefer the HPI. Each index answers a different question.

3. Index construction requires selecting components and assigning weights. Changing these value judgements may alter country rankings even when the underlying data are unchanged.

Text B — Policy use

1. A single headline index makes trends easy to communicate and may attract public attention. However, good performance in one component can offset weak performance elsewhere.

2. Lumora plans childcare services, renewable transport and expanded secondary education. Officials want indicators that reveal whether these policies reach disadvantaged groups.

Table 1 — Composite indicators

Composite indicators for Lumora, 2020 and 2025.

Table 2 — Underlying indicators

Underlying development indicators for Lumora in 2020 and 2025.

Inclusive green growth in Meridia

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

Text A — A new industrial strategy

1. Meridia is encouraging solar-panel manufacturing to generate exports, employment and tax revenue. The government expects faster growth to finance health, education and clean-water services.

2. Officials seek inclusive growth, meaning that opportunities and gains should be broadly shared. The strategy includes worker training and infrastructure in poorer regions.

3. Environmental groups support renewable energy but warn that mineral extraction for panels may damage ecosystems. They argue that development must protect natural capital.

Text B — Assessing results

1. Manufacturing has raised real output and employment, although wages remain low in some factories. Tax revenue has increased, but local governments differ in their ability to provide services.

2. The government reports income, HDI, inequality, electricity access and emissions. Policymakers disagree about whether improvements in most indicators can compensate for deterioration in one dimension.

Table 1 — Growth and distribution

Growth and distribution indicators for Meridia, 2020 and 2025.

Table 2 — Human and environmental development

Human and environmental development indicators in Meridia.

Growth, emissions and well-being in Senara

Senara's mineral-export sector has generated rapid economic growth. Government revenue and employment have increased, but mining has also contributed to water pollution, deforestation and carbon emissions. The government is considering a carbon tax, renewable-energy investment and direct transfers to mining communities.

Table 1 compares sustainable well-being in Senara and Toran. For this question, use the simplified index formula provided in the table.

Simplified index: $\frac{\text{experienced well-being}\times\text{life expectancy}\times\text{inequality-adjustment factor}}{\text{ecological footprint}}$

Table 2 provides economic and environmental data for Senara.

Senara's economic and environmental indicators, 2020 and 2024.

National averages and regional inequality in Luma

Luma's government reports a relatively high national development index. Civil-society organizations argue that the national average conceals poverty and unequal access to services in particular regions.

Table 1 provides normalized component scores for Luma and neighbouring Nera. For this question, the simplified composite index assigns a weight of 40% to health, 40% to education and 20% to income.

Normalized component scores and weights for a simplified composite development index.

Table 2 provides inequality and regional poverty data for Luma.

Luma's distributional indicators by region.

Fiscal policy and development in Marindi

Marindi's economy has grown rapidly because of manufacturing exports. The government collects a larger share of national income in taxation than previously, but significant inequalities in access to public services remain. It is deciding whether to allocate additional revenue to primary healthcare, education or cash transfers.

Table 1 provides national accounts and fiscal data.

Marindi's national accounts and fiscal data

Table 2 provides selected development indicators.

Marindi's selected development indicators, 2022 and 2024.