How growth matters

A French scholar shows that when new sources of energy become prominent, the old ones are generally not phased out.

The 1990s experience of the Brady bonds shows that generosity makes sense when linked to smart incentives.

The G20 Common Framework on Debt Treatment is useful, but not fully fit for purpose yet.

Higher spending does not necessarily mean better lives

Economic development must be made environmentally sustainable, but commonly used terms are too fuzzy to convey that message well.

Unrestrained market dynamics favour oligarchs, but do not provide public goods as needed.

Africa’s development requires economic growth, but if it follows the western model, the ecological consequences will be disastrous. Strong green-growth models strike a balance between sustainability and social justice.

Democratic governance is increasingly under attack as elected policymakers struggle to keep up with fast changes in different spheres of society.

Digital technology has far-reaching consequences, but policymaking tends to be too slow to prevent harmful impacts.

Stefan Dercon of Oxford University explains why low-income countries cannot develop without economic growth and in what kind of settings growth-oriented policies are implemented.

David Pilling does an excellent job of spelling out why policymakers must not focus exclusively on GDP growth