Resource information
Development is a multidimensional
process characterized by economic growth, investment and
technological progress, transformation of natural resources,
demographic change, advances in health and education, and
evolution of social and political institutions. The results
of development should be measurable by increases in output,
improvements in the welfare of people, greater efficiency in
the use of scarce resources, and a balance between human
needs and the capacity of the environment to provide for
those needs. Because development is a complex process, it
cannot be measured by a single yardstick. Simply measuring
the size of an economy or its rate of growth tells us little
about who benefited from growth, whether they are better
educated and healthier, or if the air, water, and land
around them have been degraded. Furthermore, there is no
simple or unique path to development. This book seeks to
provide a comprehensive picture of the world's
development at the beginning of the 21st century.
