Download Making Geographical Decision Paper 2014 Based on the Economic

Making Geographical Decision Paper 2014 Based on the Economic development of Jamaica
(everyone was asked to do this paper – to familiarise yourself with the material again it can be
found on the Edexcel Website).
Question:
Study the four options below for Jamaica to develop its struggling economy.
Select one option you think would be the best long-term plan to improve Jamaica’s economic
growth.
Use information for the Resource Booklet and your knowledge from Unit 1 and 2 to support your
answer.
Notes:
Read the question carefully and underline the key words that you need to focus your answer on i.e.
in this example: best long-term plan and economic. Keep referring to these in your answer.
You must refer to information from the Resource Booklet and add some of your own knowledge. No
option is right /wrong it is how well you justify your choice.
Overall I believe that Option 1 would be the best for the long-term economic development of
Jamaica.
The tourist industry is vital to the economic growth of Jamaica, currently it accounts for 10% of the
country’s GDP. This percentage could increase significantly if the industry was expanded and this
could help the long term growth.
The industry provides employment of up to 90,000 Jamaicans (pg6). The provision of jobs is
extremely important especially in the tertiary sector in which most Jamaicans now work (pg4) – with
the growth of the sector by the government the number of jobs will increase and more people will
be able to move away from relying on subsistence farming to a job in which they pay taxes. It is
essentially that the government increase the amount of tax they receive as currently 45% of the
taxes paid are used to pay off the interest on debt (pg4) – this will hinder the long-term economic
growth of the country. Farming is not a financially viable option for the development of Jamaica as
80% of the land is owned by subsistence farmers and therefore do not pay taxes which would help
the development of the country.
The tourist industry is successful in Jamaica as currently 3 million tourists visit each year. A problem
is that many of the resorts are owned by TNC’s – to ensure the long-term economic growth the
government needs to ensure the resorts are owned and run by Jamaicans, or ensure that they
receive significant benefits from the TNC’s through the taxes they pay and the jobs they provide pay
a good wage. It is essential to create more jobs as currently 11.8 % of the population are
unemployed. The resorts developed also need to be able to provide managerial and senior roles to
Jamaican’s and this should discourage university graduates from leaving. A secondary benefit of
increasing the tourist industry is that more jobs could be created in farming as the resorts would
need more food. Farmers could potential grow crops for the resorts rather than for export.
With increased tax revenue from the tourist industry the government would be able to invest more
money into health and education. Currently there is little money to spend on this which will clearly
hinder the economic growth of the country. With a healthier and more educated population there
would be more people able to gain better paid jobs and therefore pay more tax to improve further.
I would not chose to increase the Bauxite industry due to the environmental damage it causes
including the removal of vegetation to reach the aluminium rich clay and the waste that is toxic. This
could cause serious damage to the environment – which at the moment is one of Jamaica’s best
assets and the reason so many tourists visit. There has also been a fall employment in the industry
and with the unemployment rate in Jamaica already the 2 worst of the Caribbean this is not
sustainable. I also feel that option 2 is not viable i.e. discouraging the tourist industry as it is already
well established, provides incomes and jobs, and there is still plenty of opportunity for further
development.