Final answer:
Sectoral transformation best describes the shift in a nation's labor force from primary activities such as agriculture to secondary, tertiary, and quaternary activities involving manufacturing, services, and information technology (option c). This process is part of economic development, reflecting changes in industrialization, labor distribution, and the rise of the service industry.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term sectoral transformation refers to the change in the composition of a nation's economy through the evolving distribution of its labor force among the primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary sectors. When looking at the options provided, the most accurate description of sectoral transformation is the evolution of a nation's labor force from one dependent upon primary sector activities into alternative sectors, such as manufacturing, services, and information technology. This is because, as explained by economist Sir W. Arthur Lewis, with economic development comes a transition from agriculture-heavy labor (primary sector) to more diverse sectors like manufacturing (secondary), services (tertiary), and information and research (quaternary).
Agricultural societies reach a point where adding more workers to the land doesn't increase productivity due to fixed inputs of resources, creating surplus labor. This surplus is then absorbed by emerging sectors, such as manufacturing in the secondary sector, that can better utilize the low-skilled labor to enhance productivity and fuel further economic development. Over time, as lands like the Sun Belt become hubs for innovation, there's a further shift towards the tertiary and quaternary sectors, accelerating sectoral transformation.
Additionally, Clark's Sector Model illustrates these trends, depicting the decline in the primary sector and the incline in tertiary sector activities. This model aligns with the observed changes in the American economy, where since 1970, service jobs in the tertiary sector have grown significantly, now comprising more than three-quarters of all jobs in the country.
Hence, the answer is option c.
Complete question is as follows :
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Which of the following best describes sectoral transformation?
a.The transfer of economic products from one sector to another
b.The transformation of one sector of American society into another racial, ethnic, or linguistic entity
c.The evolution of a nation's labor force from one dependent upon primary sector activities into alternative sectors, such as manufacturing, services, and information technology
d.The process of an economic sector acquiring more connectivity via an increase in roads, canals, and other means of transportation
e.The changing of location factors over time