Economic Growth and the Quality of Life
2005
Social Watch Report 2005 - Roars and Whispers (2005)
The tenth Social Watch Report analyzes and measures nations' pledges to achieve gender equality and eradicate poverty. The 2005 edition pays special attention to the "gap between promises and action." Based on current trends, states will not achieve the Millennium Development Goals. This publication calls for immediate action by the international community.
All Types of Inequality Are Not Created Equal: Divergent Impacts of Inequality on Economic Growth (December 2005)
This report examines the complexities of defining inequality within and between countries. Using ethnic and gender disparities as case examples, the author argues that inequality can lead to short and medium term economic growth and development, but may come at a long run detriment to the marginalized group. The author calls on countries and development agencies to take into account the diversity of economic needs among different sectors of society and to make "growth and equity compatible." (Levy Economics Institute of Bard College)
The Scorecard on Development: 25 Years of Diminished Progress (September 2005)
This report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research compares data on economic growth of the last 25 years (1980-2005) with the previous two decades (1960-1980). Analyzing several social indicators, the report notices a decline in GDP per capita, adult and child life expectancy, school enrollment and so on. In short "a reduced rate of progress over the last 25 years." The authors argue that the prevailing policy model of privatization, liberalization and the free market "could be mistaken."
Not Everyone Celebrates Improved Poverty Statistics (August 23, 2005)
Recent statistics from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) show that in Mexico, the overall poverty level fell from 44.2 to 37 percent between 1992 and 2004. As a result, Mexico should meet the MDG target to halve extreme poverty. Unfortunately, sometimes reality is much more complex than figures. "Poverty is a condition, a global social state that is not modified just because someone earns a few more dollars." (Inter Press Service)
Pollution Poisons China's Progress (July 4, 2005)
No country has lifted more people out of poverty faster than modern China, but the environment seems to be bearing the brunt of the burden of growth. With lax environmental protection and officials more concerned with economic growth than clean water, it doesn't look like things are going to change. Some areas have such high levels of toxins in the air and the groundwater that cancer levels are 15 to 30 times higher than the national figure drinking water is like "liquid poison." (USA Today)
China's Rural Poor Suffer from WTO Membership (February 21, 2005)
Even though China's foreign trade has doubled after the country's accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, its rural population has not benefited from the increased economic activity. According to a World Bank study, the poorest rural households have suffered a sharp six percent loss in their living standards, while nearly 90 percent of urban households reported income and consumption gains. (Agence France Presse)
Wanted: Decent Jobs for Millions of Poor People (February 14, 2005)
At the 1995 Copenhagen Summit, government leaders agreed to take decisive action to end extreme poverty and bring gender equality to women. But ten years after the declaration, the world's poor are not faring much better. According to this Inter Press Service article, the problem does not lie in slow economic growth but in the lack of decent jobs.
Unearthing the Truth: Mining in Peru (February 2005)
In the 1990s, the Peruvian government implemented a series of legal reforms aimed at attracting foreign investment in the mining sector. As a result, investment increased but the environmental and social costs clearly outweighed any benefits for local communities. This Christian Aid report calls for more stringent national and international regulation to ensure that poor communities benefit from industrial development where it takes place.
Sustainability - A New Bottom Line (January 5, 2005)
This Op-Ed piece condemns the standard use of Gross Domestic Product for measuring economic growth and calls for an alternative measurement of development. The current economic system operates under the false premise that the world has no limits, and no constraints on growth, pollution or exploitation. The author argues in favor of a reevaluation of development based on environmental sustainability. (Environmental News Network)
2004
Why Less Should Be So Much More: Degrowth Economics (November 2004)
This piece from Le Monde diplomatique denounces Western economic orthodoxy and its obsession with economic growth by suggesting an alternative radical growth theory: "degrowth economics." The author argues for the need to deconstruct the current development debate, which he views as an unsustainable result of westernization. In order to truly develop, poor countries must break from the path of mental, cultural and economic dependency the so-called "developed countries" want to impose.
Rivers Run Black and Chinese Die of Cancer (September 12, 2004)
With rising income in urban areas the growing Chinese middleclass demands cleaner air and water and pressures the worst polluters to leave the cities. In effect, the Chinese countryside is rapidly turning into a dumping ground where corporations operate without any concern for the environment. (New York Times)
Do We Really Want Development? Growth, the World's Hard Drug (August 2004)
This Le Monde Diplomatiquearticle explains that the term "sustainable development" falsely presents economic growth as the solution to both social and environmental problems. "Growth for growth's sake," has in the framework of global market economy become the "opium of the masses," argues the article.Kazakhstan Faces Widespread Poverty Despite Economic Growth (May 13, 2004)
A UN Development Programme report states that almost 25 percent of Kazakhstan's 15 million people lived in poverty in 2002 despite the country's high economic growth. UNDP head in Kazakhstan Gordon Johnson argues that the government must create a more efficient social policy that would include salary increases for at least half of the employees in the social, civil and agricultural sectors. (UN Wire)
Latin Americans are Nostalgic for Strongman Rule (April 21, 2004)
A UN report reveals that 56 percent of people surveyed in Latin America are "disenchanted" with democracy due to social inequality and ineffective legal systems and social services. Coupled with abusive police practices and widespread corruption, the Mexican Ambassador to the UN Enrique Berruga Filloy argues that people are "democratically exhausted" of waiting for things to change. (International Herald Tribune)
2003
Our So-Called Boom (December 30, 2003)
Paul Krugman argues that the impressive overall economic growth in the US does not benefit people equally. While most direct gains go to corporate profits, a great majority of people does not see their incomes rise. (New York Times)
Measuring Gross National Happiness (November 3, 2003)
Gross domestic product merely represents cash flows and cannot measure a country's progress accurately, argues this article. People should learn from pioneer projects in Brazil that assess development on indicators including the social and environmental consequences of economic growth. (Environment News Service)
What's Wealth (October 1, 2003)
This TomPaine article argues that the US focus on growth statistics and official unemployment numbers is an "incredible Orwellian scam." Those statistics hide the widening gap between the rich and the poor and the fact that "the richest country in the world" cannot guarantee healthcare and freedom from poverty to its population.
In War and Peace, Reforms Transform Sri Lanka's Economy (August 21, 2003)
This Panos feature questions the "myth of the economic boom during the war period" in Sri Lanka. While the reforms undertaken by the Sri Lankan government generated surprising economic growth, this did not translate into a similar improvement in health and education.
Making Trinkets in China, and a Deadly Dust (June 15, 2003)
China's booming export industry has led to record growth in GDP, but life remains difficult for migrant workers like Hu Zhiguo, who became ill working in a jewelry factory. (New York Times)
Bhutan Looks to WTO to Lift the Happiness Index (February 24, 2003)
The country of Bhutan measures economic growth by a "happiness index" which takes into account "a sustainable balance among the economic, social, emotional and cultural needs of the people." Bhutan is negotiating to join the WTO in hopes that market liberalization will boost the country's happiness. (Bloomberg)
Liberalisation Makes Rajasthan's Drought Lethal (February 5, 2003)
The monsoon hasn't come to northeastern India since 1998, but development workers say India's economic liberalization, not drought alone, is responsible for the current famine. Relief organization Christian Aid has seen an increase in rural poverty and acute hunger since India began liberalizing its economy and dismantling agricultural subsidies. (Guardian)
Can Small Still be Beautiful? (January 28, 2003)
India and China are both pursuing development strategies made in the West based on growth, efficiency, and consumption of natural resources. This article warns that "the result is likely to be a highly degraded environment and serious depletion of resources, rather than the elimination of poverty." (Christian Science Monitor)
2002
The Global Accounting Scam (December 5, 2002)
This author highlights the absurdity of measuring a country's prosperity by its Gross Domestic Product. He argues, "the more medical bills you incur, the more junk food your kids yammer for, the more you sit in traffic and the more your credit card company rips you off with hidden charges, the better the economy is doing." (Enough!)
Environmental Cost Of Asia's Development (November 26, 2002)
The Asian Development Bank warns that environmental degradation caused by economic growth in Asia is "pervasive, accelerating and largely unabated," endangering resources necessary for long-term economic development. (Asia Times)
Growth is Necessary but not Sufficient to Reduce Poverty (November 19, 2002)
The UN Economic Commission for Africa argues that "no amount of growth will reduce poverty if it only targets an increase in the average income and does not aim at reducing income inequality." The commission met in Brussels to discuss how African countries can take more ownership of poverty reduction strategies.
Annan Says Economic Growth Alone Will Not Resolve World's Ills, Urges Broader Efforts (October 28, 2002)
In a speech delivered at the Dubai Strategy Forum in the United Arab Emirates, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan pressed for increased attention to balanced social development in addition to economic growth. (United Nations)
Diversification in Coffee Growing: A Viable and Sustainable Alternative to Ensure Self-Sufficiency in Food Production (October 8, 2002)
The Union of Agricultural and Cattle Ranchers in Nicaragua calls on farmers not to use all arable land for cash crops such as coffee, instead leaving some land for food production. The recent starvation of eighteen children on Nicaraguan coffee plantations prompted the union's statement. (Catholic Institute for International Relations)
Putting Sustainable Development First (July, 2002)
This Eurodad paper discusses the link between debt sustainability and sustainable development. It puts forward a 3-step methodology to assess sustainable debt based on poverty conditions and the needs in each country.
Putting Development Dollars to Use, South of the Border (May 2, 2002)
The Progresa program in Mexico proves effective in reducing child labor by paying families to send their kids to school. The plan targets the problem of low family income, which constitutes the main cause of children working instead of attending school. (New York Times)
Every Child In School (April 8, 2002)
Oxfam calls on finance and development ministers to implement a global education plan consisting of four primary components: national plans, monitoring procedures, an international financing framework and immediate action in 19 countries.
Politics and Parallel Negotiations: Environment and Trade in the Western Hemisphere (April 2002)
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace explains the challenges of simultaneously pursuing economic development and environmental sustainability. Civil society groups will continue to oppose economic-growth initiatives that lack healthy environmental commitments. (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)
Hazardous to Health: The World Bank and IMF in Africa (April 2002)
World Bank and IMF policies, which sacrifice social programs for economic integration and privatization, have undermined significant health care advances in Africa and increase the spread of infectious diseases. (Africa Action)
Chronic Poverty and Older People in the Developing World (January 2002)
Poverty-reduction strategies must take into account the fact that populations are aging, particularly in developing countries. Chronic Poverty Research Centre discusses chronic poverty in old age in terms of health, economics, social exclusion and gender implications.
The Mirage of Progress (January 14, 2002)
National interests of developing and transition countries have become secondary to powerful foreign interest. This have resulted in economic failures and the prevention of potentially successful development strategies during the past 20 years. (American Prospect)
Income Disparity vs. Growth (November 25, 2001)
The Japan Times comments on a report from World Institute for Development Economics Research on income inequality. The study identifies traditional causes, gives suggestions for remedies, and shows how poverty reduction can be hampered by income inequality, regardless of economic growth.
GATS, Trade Liberalization and Children's Right to Health (November 5 , 2001)
This Save the Children's report suggests that liberalization of trade in health services give economic interests priority over public health. Trade liberalization can result in impoverishment of families and increase health problems among children.
The Global Governance of Trade As If Development Really Mattered (October 2001)
This report presents an alternative approach to economic development. It criticizes the focus on trade as a mean for development. Instead the report emphasizes the role of domestic institutional innovations and argues that a focus on poverty reduction can enhance growth. (UNDP)
Priced out of Reach (October 29, 2001)
This Oxfam report stresses the importance of changing global patent rules so that vital medicines can become accessible to poor people. The World Trade Organization meeting in Doha offers an opportunity for patent change and poverty reduction.
The Unremarkable Record of Liberalized Trade (October 2001)
Policy-makers around the world promote trade liberalization and economic deregulation as means to combat poverty. Yet empirical evidence does not support this view. On the contrary, the reforms probably have a weakening effect on means for poverty reduction.(Economic Policy Institute)
The Scorecard on Globalization 1980-2000 (August 19, 2001)
This joint ATTAC-CEPR socio-economic report argues that globalization has led to"diminished progress" in terms of economic growth, health outcomes, and education over the last twenty years.
Argentina Doubts Market Wisdom (August 6, 2001)
Economic crisis has left many Argentineans jobless and weakened the region's embrace of capitalism. The US and international financial institutions need to focus on how to improve the quality of life of ordinary Argentineans if they do not want the disillusionment with free market influencing the region's economic policy makings. (Washington Post)
Irrigation Creates World Water Crisis (February 25, 2001)
This article discusses how irrigation projects designed to increase the water supply in many nations have actually worsened the problem. (London Observer)
Peasants Speak Out Against Food Imports (January 31, 2001)
Peasant farmers from around the world joined at the World Social Forum to denounce the liberalization of trade in food for increasing rural poverty and threatening food security. (Third World Network).
US President Signs Bill Opposing MDB User Fees for Social Services (November 6, 2000)
This article discusses a new US law requiring US representatives to multilateral institutions to oppose user fees that such institutions often impose for services like education and health care. (50 Years is Enough).
There's More to Becoming Rich than GDP Growth (September 26, 2000)
Only half a year after the simplistic 'Growth is Good for the Poor' report, the World Bank published a new study stating that the "Quality of Growth" is the decisive factor. (Independent).
Quality of Growth Key to Less Poverty, Better Lives for All (September 25, 2000)
The World Bank's Quality of Growth report calls for a broader-based approach to development, emphasizing education, protection of the environment, and strengthened civil liberties.
Global Trade Alone Will Not End World Hunger (February 18, 2000)
"Economic growth based mainly on exports is not sufficient for broad-based development," suggests the director of the UN Food and Agriculture association.
FDI, Globalization, UNCTAD and Human Development (2000)
Yash Tandon contends that if UNCTAD is to advance human development, it should reconsider its uncritical advocacy of foreign direct investment. (Third World Network).
1992
To Improve Human Welfare, Poison the Poor: The Logic of a Free Market Economist (March 1, 1992)
David Korten questions the underlying assumption that all economic growth is good.
