M. A. Hassaan: (Associate professor, Geography Department, Faculty of Arts in Damanhour, University of Alexandria).

Vol (3), No. (1), 1431 / 2010

p.p. 97 – 121

Abstract:

Since the early 1990s, UNDP developed a number of human development indices to measure achievements in certain dimensions of human development  at various spatial levels, of which Human Development Index (HDI) is the most common and widely adopted at national and regional levels. Egypt, meanwhile, issued, since 1994,a number of regular human development reports, which monitored and analyzed the main features of human development using HDI and its primary indices at national and governorate levels.

This paper aims at assessing the application of Human Development Index (HDI) at local level through measuring and mapping HDI in various localities of Damietta Governorate, Egypt. Furthermore, the paper intends to examine the potential impacts of different weighting schemes given to primary indices of the composite HDI on the index itself.

The composite HDI and its primary component indices were calculated based on the data on various dimensions of HDI for various localities of the study area. The results revealed that various localities of the study area have relatively similar HDI, which reduces the potential comparability of the index. Nevertheless, mapping HDI highlighted the differences between various localities, which can assist in maintaining a reasonable level of compatibility. Furthermore, the paper suggested a Modified Human Development Index (MHDI) with different weighting schemes for the primary indices of HDI to cope with the reality of data relevant to various dimensions of human development in the study area and to reflect the actual contribution of each of these dimensions to HDI.