Exercises · Q3
Q.Distinguish between economic growth and economic development.
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✓ Free question
The key differences between economic growth and economic development can be summarised as follows:
| Basis | Economic Growth | Economic Development |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Quantitative | Qualitative |
| Scope | Narrow — output and income | Broad — health, education, equality, environment |
| Measurement | Growth rate of real GDP/GNP/PCI | Composite indices — HDI, PQLI, GDI |
| Distribution | Not addressed | Central concern |
| Relationship | Can occur without development | Rarely sustained without underlying growth |
| Time frame | Can be short-run/cyclical | Long-run, structural process |
In short, growth is a necessary but not sufficient condition for development — an economy needs to produce more to have the resources for development, but producing more does not automatically mean living standards improve for everyone.
✓Final answer
Growth is the quantitative rise in output/income; development is the broader qualitative improvement in actual living standards, captured through composite measures like HDI, PQLI, and GDI rather than GDP or per capita income alone.
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