Economic Growth and Development Mesurement

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Question: Development continues to be measured and expressed in terms of statistical indicators, with economic growth a key indicator of success. Yet, others have noted that, “The creation of a worldwide belt of slums, containing about one-sixth of the of the world’s population (1 billion) is one measure of this process”. McMichael, Development and Social Change, 2008, p. 9 To what extent is economic growth an appropriate measure of development? Give reasons for your answer. It is presupposed that countries, which achieve an increase in the total amount of goods and services produced per head of the population, or what is called Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita or Gross National Product (GNP) per capita (McMichael 2008, p.47; Deb 2009, p.41), have been characterized as escalating on the economic ladders of development in order to escape from the condition called “underdevelopment” (Sacks 2005, pp.12-16; Willis 2005, p.69). Economic growth, therefore, becomes the goal of societies and states to devise their development policies for enhancing these statistical indicators as the fundamental measurement of development in both developed and developing nations over the past centuries (Deb 2009, p.15; Escobar 2002, p.82). Although economists argue that economic growth is the only way to measure the standard of living of people and to eradicate poverty (Escobar 2005, p.140; George 2000, p.9), it is often noted by critics that economic growth results in the deterioration of social and environmental conditions of the population (Levy 2003, p.3; McMichael 2005, p.470; Tomas 2000, p.10). It is likewise McMichael (2008, p.9) points out that “the creation of worldwide belt of slums, containing about one-sixth of the world’s population (1 billion) is one measure of this process”. In order words, the

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