The 1996 Report opens with a fundamental statement: "Human development
is the end - economic growth a means." The Report argues that economic
growth, if not properly managed, can be jobless, voiceless, ruthless, rootless
and futureless, and thus detrimental to human development. The quality of growth
is therefore as important as its quantity; for poverty reduction, human
development and sustainability.
The Report concludes that the links between economic growth and human
development must be deliberately forged and regularly fortified by skillful and
intelligent policy management. It identifies employment as critical for
translating the benefits of economic growth into the lives of people. But for
this to happen, new patterns of growth will need to be developed and sustained
well into the 21st century-- and new mechanisms must be developed to integrate
the weak and the vulnerable into the expanding global economy.
To support economic growth as a means to enrich people's lives, the Report
demonstrates why:
- Over the past 15 years the world has seen spectacular economic advance for
some countries - and unprecedented decline for others;
- Widening disparities in economic performance are creating two worlds -
ever more polarized;
- Everywhere, the structure and quality of growth demand more attention - to
contribute to human development, poverty reduction and long-term
sustainability;
- Progress in human development has mostly continued - but too unevenly;
- New approaches are needed to expand and improve employment opportunities,
so that people can participate in growth - and benefit from it; and
- Economic growth is not sustainable without human development;
