A landless labourer seeks secure employment, a girl from a wealthy urban family seeks freedom from social discrimination, and a farmer seeks a fair price for her produce. These goals reflect both material and non-material dimensions of development. Why is recognising this distinction important when a government designs policies for national development?
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:24 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Recognising the material and non-material dimensions is important because people's developmental goals are varied and sometimes conflicting. A landless labourer needs more work days and fair wages (material), but also wants freedom from social discrimination (non-material). A wealthy girl seeks freedom to choose her own path (non-material). A farmer needs fair crop prices (material).
If a government focuses only on income or economic growth, it ignores equally important goals like security, equality, respect, and freedom. A policy that raises average income but continues discrimination or denies freedom is incomplete. True national development requires addressing both dimensions so that policies are fair and just for all sections of society.
Source: Chapter 1 — What Development Promises; Income and Other Goals
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Explanation
- The examiner wants you to link the three examples from the question to the two dimensions (material = income/wages/prices; non-material = dignity/freedom/security).
- Then explain why the distinction matters for policy — a government that ignores non-material goals will design incomplete policies.
- The textbook explicitly states: "Material goods are not all that you need to live" and non-material goals like equal treatment and freedom are sometimes more important than income.
- Avoid writing a long essay; 3 marks = ~3 clear points in 60–90 words. Use the examples from the question itself — that shows direct application.