According to Nora Querabell (1975) “Development communication is the art and science of human communication applied to speedy transformation of a country and the mass of its people from poverty to a dynamic state of economic growth that makes possible greater social equality and the larger fulfilment of human potential.”
According to Evrettt M. Rogers (1983) “ Development communication refers to the uses to which communication is put forward in order to further development. Such applications are intended for development in a general way, such as by increasing the level of mass media exposure among a nation’s citizens, in order to create a “favourable climate development, or to support a specific development program.”
Basic Economic Indicator
- 1. GDP (Gross Domestic Product): measures the total monetary value of all goods and services produced within a country’s borders during a specific period. It reflects the overall economic activity and is often used to gauge the health and growth rate of an economy.
- 2. GNP (Gross National Product): includes the total value of goods and services produced by a country’s residents, whether within the nation or abroad. It indicates the economic strength of a nation’s citizens and businesses, accounting for income earned from overseas investments.
- 3. HDI (Human Development Index): is a composite statistic that measures a country’s average achievements in three key dimensions: health (life expectancy), education (mean and expected years of schooling), and standard of living (GNI per capita). It gives a broader understanding of development beyond mere economic growth.
- 4. PQLI (Physical Quality of Life Index): measures the quality of life or well-being of a country’s citizens through three indicators: literacy rate, infant mortality rate, and life expectancy at age one. It focuses on social progress and the physical aspects of living conditions rather than income.
- 5. MPI (Multidimensional Poverty Index): assesses poverty by considering various deprivations in health, education, and living standards. It captures how people experience poverty in multiple ways — beyond income — such as lack of sanitation, nutrition, electricity, or education.
These economic indicators serve as crucial tools for development communicators, policymakers, and social planners to identify gaps, prioritise issues, and design effective communication strategies. For instance, data on HDI or MPI help determine regions requiring greater attention to education, health, or sanitation, guiding campaigns that promote behavioural and social change.
By interpreting these indicators, communication practitioners can frame messages that not only inform and educate but also mobilise communities toward collective participation in development. In this way, development communication transforms from a theoretical discipline into a pragmatic instrument for achieving inclusive and sustainable growth.
Development communication can be differentiated from other fields by three aspects:
- Development communication is “purposive.”
- Development communication is “positive.”
- Development communication is “pragmatic.”
Furthermore, development communication helps create a constructive environment where stakeholders participate in defining problems, arrive at a common understanding of issues, consider and discuss ideas, negotiate, and collectively find solutions.
The two primary roles Development Communication
Transforming role: As it seeks pro-social change in the direction of improving the quality of life of people. Promoting immunisation of children and institutional deliveries of pregnant women, encouraging enrollment of girls in schools, adoption of toilets by families, breaking myths surrounding menstruation or social customs like early marriage are some initiatives for improving the lives of people with communication being an integral component for achieving these objectives.
Socialising role: By seeking to maintain some of the established values of the society, development communication seeks to create an atmosphere for change as well as providing innovation through which society may change. Each society has some traditional values that give people an identity, a sense of belonging and within which their aspirations are intricately embedded. As people of different cultures meet, the values, customs and beliefs of societies make inroads into each other’s societies, slowly influencing and changing them. Communication can play a very vital role by making people aware of differing values and beliefs, critically examine new ideas as well as re-analyse the relevance and richness of their own values, customs, beliefs and, above all, aspirations in changing contexts.