UN Human Development Index (HDI)

The Human Development Index (HDI) was developed as part of the United Nations Development Program to describe a nation’s cultural development rather than simply and exclusively based on economic indicators. Some dimensions of the HDI include, for example, ‘a long and healthy life’, ‘knowledge’, and a ‘decent standard of living’. The table below lists the HDI for the AAIS’s Member Countries.

Like the AIS, the AAIS uses this to determine prices for its services, such as registration at the Australasian Conference on Information Systems and Departmental Membership. In this region, there are member countries with Very High (VH), High (H), and Medium (M) Human Development Indexes. Some are Unclassified. For the sake of simplicity, the AAIS considers Unclassified member countries to be equivalent to Medium.

The HDI is not evenly distributed across the AAIS Jurisdiction. There is an HDI Divide separating the Very High Development Index countries from the rest of the Australasian IS Community. There is a cultural component to this HDI divide. Australia and New Zealand are predominantly Anglo-Saxon/Anglo-Celtic countries with Very High/High HDI, and the remaining 17 countries are not. There is also a geographic component to this HDI divide as well. Flight times between Sydney and New Zealand are relatively short (3h 15m). However, the flight times between Sydney and Kiribati, at the eastern extreme of this region, are very long (11h 37m).

Travel within the AAIS Jurisdiction is not an affordable option for some members of the Australasian IS Community. This large area and HDI Divide have been significant factors in proposing the development of Virtual Communities.

Map of AAIS Jurisdiction Human Development Index