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Success and Failure in Human Development, 1970-2007

Author

Listed:
  • Gustav Ranis

    (Yale University)

  • Frances Stewart

    (Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity, University of Oxford)

Abstract

The paper reviews experience in advancing Human Development since 1970 by investigating behaviour among countries that made the largest improvements in HD, and those that made the least improvement. The three developing countries with the fastest growth in the HDI over the period are selected from initial low-HDI, middle HDI- and high HDI country groupings, and their experience compared on a range of indicators. Certain characteristics were common to all success cases: good or moderate educational enrolment ratios; good or moderate female/male enrolment ratios; and good or moderate Human Poverty Indices. The other three major inputs into success appear to be growth, social expenditure and income distribution, and the successful countries showed different combinations of performance on these. Weak performers all experienced poor or moderate economic growth. Two classes of weak performance were: low income countries with weak growth, poor distribution and high poverty; and transition countries where economic, institutional and demographic disruptions led to poor progress. We also look beyond the HDI as an indicator of HD, explore such other features as political freedoms, security and environmental sustainability, and find little correlation between achievements on these indicators (both in levels and changes) with success and failure with respect to the HDI. Finally we provide short country vignettes of some of the success and failure cases, exploring some historical and institutional features associated with their performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Gustav Ranis & Frances Stewart, 2010. "Success and Failure in Human Development, 1970-2007," Human Development Research Papers (2009 to present) HDRP-2010-10, Human Development Report Office (HDRO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
    • Handle: RePEc:hdr:papers:hdrp-2010-10
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. David Mayer-Foulkes, 2013. "A Cross-country Causal Panorama of Human Development and Sustainability," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 17(2), pages 235-251, May.
    2. Irene Rodríguez-Serrano & Natalia Caldés & Cristina Rúa & Yolanda Lechón & Alberto Garrido, 2017. "Using the Framework for Integrated Sustainability Assessment (FISA) to expand the Multiregional Input–Output analysis to account for the three pillars of sustainability," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(5), pages 1981-1997, October.
    3. Sabina Alkire & Jose Manuel Roche & Andy Sumner, 2013. "Where do the World's Multidimensionally Poor People Live?," OPHI Working Papers 61, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford.
    4. M Niaz Asadullah & Norma Mansor & Antonio Savoia, 2019. "Explaining a ‘development miracle’: poverty reduction and human development in Malaysia since the 1970s," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 382019, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    5. Alkire, Sabina & Roche, José Manuel & Vaz, Ana, 2017. "Changes Over Time in Multidimensional Poverty: Methodology and Results for 34 Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 232-249.
    6. Darian McBain & Ali Alsamawi, 2014. "Quantitative accounting for social economic indicators," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 38(3), pages 193-202, August.
    7. Illien, Patrick & Bieri, Sabin, 2024. "Political settlements analysis and the study of pro-poor development: Laos and Rwanda compared," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    8. Irina-Elena Gentimir, 2015. "Social Development – Requirement and Consequence of the Evolution of Society," Acta Universitatis Danubius. OEconomica, Danubius University of Galati, issue 11(2), pages 144-150, April.
    9. Asadullah, M. Niaz & Savoia, Antonio & Mahmud, Wahiduddin, 2014. "Paths to Development: Is there a Bangladesh Surprise?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 138-154.
    10. Wulung Hanandita & Gindo Tampubolon, 2016. "Multidimensional Poverty in Indonesia: Trend Over the Last Decade (2003–2013)," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 128(2), pages 559-587, September.
    11. M. Niaz Asadullah & Antonio Savoia & Kunal Sen, 2020. "Will South Asia Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030? Learning from the MDGs Experience," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 152(1), pages 165-189, November.
    12. Mark Fruin & Desi Peneva & Rati Ram, 2013. "Income elasticity of human development in ASEAN countries," The Empirical Econometrics and Quantitative Economics Letters, Faculty of Economics, Chiang Mai University, vol. 2(4), pages 13-20, December.
    13. Vincenzo Marinello & Chiara Di Puma, 2020. "The Human Development Index: a critical evaluation and a new proposal," RIEDS - Rivista Italiana di Economia, Demografia e Statistica - The Italian Journal of Economic, Demographic and Statistical Studies, SIEDS Societa' Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, vol. 74(2), pages 29-38, April-Jun.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Human Development; growth; income distribution;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O2 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy
    • O20 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - General
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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