Tag Archives: growth
Will the world eventually come to an equilibrium where all nations will be developed and everyone will be out of poverty?
My answer on Quora: In the United States, the preamble to the nation’s constitution begins with “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union…” The idea of “a more perfect union” underpins the ultimate goal of the nation as defined from its inception: to become more perfect with every generation, […]
Africa in the World Cup: Building cohesion through the world’s most-watched sport
From Brookings, Africa in Focus blog (with Mariama Sow): The World Cup, which starts this week, is the most-watched sporting event in the world, having reached more than 3 billion people in 2014. This year, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia will be representing Africa. African teams in the World Cup are rarely predicted to advance beyond the […]
How does improving basic infrastructure enhance economic growth?
My answer on Quora: Basic infrastructure enhances economic growth in three broad ways: (1) by supporting the production of goods and services, (2) by connecting people to each other and to those goods and services, and (3) by helping people secure basic needs like food, clean water, housing, health care and quality education (a healthy […]
Is population the number one contributor to a country’s long-term economic growth?
My answer on Quora: Population is important, but productivity is most important for long-term economic growth. Throughout most of history before the Industrial Revolution, an economy could only grow about as fast as its population. The Industrial Revolution and the new technologies brought into the production process allowed firms to produce much more than they were ever capable […]
What are the reasons why GDP may understate or overstate economic well-being?
My answer on Quora: There is a distinction between welfare and output in economics. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a measure of how much an economy produces in a given period of time. This can typically be done by looking at aggregate expenditures, income, or value-add throughout the production process. It does not measure welfare or well-being, and by definition, is […]
Which is better, GDP or HDI?
“In my opinion the point of high GDP is to provide better life for people. That’s higher GDP should lead to Higher HDI, otherwise it is not real development. What is your view?” My answer on Quora: It does not strictly follow that higher GDP leads to higher HDI (Human Development Index). GDP is a […]
Is the Chinese economy sustainable?
My answer on Quora: As it stands right now, China’s economy is not sustainable. The good news is that the Chinese authorities know what they need to do. The bad news is that it is a lot easier said than done, not just for political reasons but for economic ones too. At the heart of […]
Karim Foda 