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The concept of development is the subject of many debates, as it changes over time and is handled in different ways by different perspectives and different areas of expertise. While sometimes only economic data explain development, sometimes quantitative data and qualitative changes are used to explain development, and dozens of indicators such as economic, social, cultural, environmental, etc. are considered within this scope. At the core of all these different evaluations, which are formed within the framework of the concept and its definition and change over time, lies the inevitable process of communication and change that the world is going through. Social development attempts to explain the qualitative changes in the structure and environment of society in order for society to achieve its goals and objectives. Development can be defined as an upward movement that involves higher levels of energy, efficiency, quality, productivity, complexity, understanding, creativity, ingenuity, enjoyment and achievement, applicable to all societies in all historical periods1. Development is a process of social change, not just a set of policies and programs designed to achieve specific results. Over the last five centuries this process has increased in speed and intensity, with the lasta five years
The main mechanism driving social change is raising awareness leading to better organization. When society perceives new and better opportunities for progress, it develops new forms of organization to successfully exploit these new openings. New forms of organization can better harness existing social energies, skills and resources to exploit opportunities to achieve intended results. Development is governed by many factors that influence the outcomes of development efforts. There must be a motive driving social development and the necessary preconditions for this change to take place. The motive must be strong enough to overcome the obstacles that prevent this change from taking place. Development also requires resources such as capital, technology and supporting infrastructure. Social development, in other words, is the result of society's capacity to organize resources to meet challenges and opportunities. Society goes through well-defined stages throughout its development. Nomadic hunting and gathering, rural agriculture, urban, commercial, industrial and post-industrial societies. At a later stage, innovations are accepted, imitated, organized and used by other members of the community.
Organizational improvements to support innovation can occur simultaneously at four different levels: physical, social, mental and psychological. Furthermore, four different types of resources are involved in fostering development. Of these four, physical resources are the most visible but least capable of expansion. The efficiency of resources increases greatly as the quality of organization and knowledge inputs increase. The pace and extent of development varies according to the stage of society. The three main stages are physical, vital (vital refers to the dynamic and tense social energies of humanity that drive individuals to achieve) and mental. Social development thus improves the well-being of every individual in society, enabling the realization of potentials for all in a holistic way. The success of society is linked to the well-being of every citizen. In this respect, the equal and accessible availability of the determinants of well-being can be called one of the main objectives of social development. Existing obstacles and bottlenecks must be eliminated to ensure that all citizens can access equal rights and services with confidence. At this point, the solutions to be created for the problems identified will ensure the realization of social development. For example, instead of accepting that people living in poverty will always be poor, it is part of social development to set goals and targets for the elimination of poverty.
Specific indicators for measuring development can range from economic data, technical innovations, changes in the political or legal system, and questions affecting individual life chances, such as life expectancy, risk of disease and disability. Indices such as Gross Domestic Product have become a focal orientation and are often seen as a key figure for assessing the performance of the system. However, there are other factors on which GDP is dependent, especially for developed countries. For example, the sustainability of economic activity cannot be considered if environmental damage is not taken into account. The Social Progress Index is a tool developed by the International Organization for Compulsory Social Progress that measures the extent to which countries are meeting the social and environmental needs of their citizens. There are fifty-two indicators in three areas or dimensions:
* Basic Human Needs, Fundamentals of Well-being and Relative Performance Indicators of Nations
Indices that can be used to measure progress include:
o Broad measures of economic progress
o Disability-adjusted life years
o Green national product
o Gender Development Index
o Actual Progress Indicator
o Gross National Happiness
o Gross National Welfare
o Happy Planet Index
o Human Development Index
o Legatum Prosperity Index
o Social Progress Index
o OECD Better Life Index
o Subjective life satisfaction
o Where will he be born Index
o Wikipediarogress
o World Happiness Report
o World Values Survey
There are many possible indicators to consider when measuring social development. Most often, the use of life expectancy (health) and adult literacy rate (education) are two reliable indicators that paint a picture of what socially developed countries are like. From these figures we can draw many conclusions as well as measure progress over time. For example, in South Africa, the percentage of the population without formal education had fallen drastically from 19.1 percent in 1996 to 8.7 percent in 2011. This shows that more South African children are being educated. When assessing social development, we must also take gender into account, where there are often large disparities.
In order to develop a conceptual framework for the realization of innovative social development projects for local governments (municipalities), we believe that the question of how municipalities can do this needs to be answered.
As Force & Brothers Consulting, we provide a catalyst for local governments to develop strategies for the implementation steps to be followed in developing these projects.
[1] 1 Jacobs, Garry and Asokan N., “Towards a Comprehensive Theory of Social Development”. In: Human Choice, World Academy of Art & Science, USA, 1999, p. 152.
2 International Commission on Peace and Food, Uncommon Opportunities: An Agenda for Peace and Equitable Development, Zed Books, UK, 1994, p. 163
