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Year 11
Edexcel B

Rostow’s and Frank’s theories about development over time

I can explain Rostow's and Frank's theories about how and why countries develop over time.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 11
Edexcel B

Rostow’s and Frank’s theories about development over time

I can explain Rostow's and Frank's theories about how and why countries develop over time.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There are different theories that can explain how countries develop over time.
  2. Rostow's modernisation theory suggests that the introduction of manufacturing causes countries to develop.
  3. Frank's dependency theory suggests that the development of a core and periphery leads to inequality.

Keywords

  • Extreme poverty - living on less than $2.15 a day

  • Modernisation theory - a view that suggests that countries move through five stages of economic development, proposed by Rostow

  • Manufacturing - the secondary economic sector, involving making goods from raw materials or other manufactured products (for example motor vehicles)

  • Dependency theory - a socialist view that explains how the core (developed countries) exploit the periphery, proposed by Frank

Common misconception

There are more people living in poverty today than there once were.

The share of the global population living in extreme poverty has dramatically fallen in the past decades.


To help you plan your year 11 geography lesson on: Rostow’s and Frank’s theories about development over time, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The gapminder website and others provide excellent visualisations of change over time that may be used to good effect from the front of class or on student devices.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
When we consider intergovernmental organisations, what does U.N. stand for?
Correct answer: United Nations
Unified Nature
Uniform National
Q2.
What is global inequality?
The unequal distribution of resources within a country
Correct answer: The unequal distribution of wealth and resources between countries
The differences in population growth rates between countries
The differences in political systems around the world
Q3.
Which of the following is a key measure of development?
Correct answer: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita
Biodiversity
Natural disaster frequency
Q4.
Match the world bank classification of a country's development with its definition.
Correct Answer:LIC - low income countries,GNI per capita of $1045 or less
tick

GNI per capita of $1045 or less

Correct Answer:MIC - medium income countries,GNI per capita of more than $1045 but less than $12 695
tick

GNI per capita of more than $1045 but less than $12 695

Correct Answer:HIC - high income countries,GNI per capita of more than $12 696
tick

GNI per capita of more than $12 696

Q5.
How does colonial history contribute to global inequality?
Colonised countries developed advanced economies during colonial rule
Correct answer: Colonial powers made political and economic systems that only benefited them
Colonised countries were more technologically advanced than colonising countries
Colonialism helped to spread wealth and reduce inequality
Q6.
How does globalisation impact global inequality?
It has no effect on global inequality
It reduces inequality by helping all countries grow equally
Correct answer: It can increase and reduce inequality, depending on access to global markets

4 Questions

Q1.
Extreme means living on less than $2.15 a day
Correct Answer: poverty
Q2.
Globally, how many people live in extreme poverty?
Correct answer: 1 person in 10
1 person in 100
1 person in 1000
Q3.
Rostow’s modernisation theory suggests that international trade is central to economic development, put the steps in the correct order.
1 - Science and technology can increase the productivity of agriculture.
2 - Higher yields enables international trade.
3 - Income from international trade invested in new industry (manufacturing).
4 - Export of goods produced by the manufacturing sector leads to
5 - increased incomes and a higher standard of living
Q4.
Which of the below describe Frank's dependency theory?
Correct answer: The core (developed countries) exploit the periphery
The periphery exploit the core (developed countries)
Countries move through five stages of economic development