The Developer's Dilemma: Structural Transformation, Inequality Dynamics, and Inclusive Growth

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Developing countries seek economic development which is broad-based or inclusive in the sense that it raises the income of all, especially the poor. Yet this is at odds with Simon Kuznets' hypothesis that economic development tends to put upward pressure on income inequality, at least initially and in the absence of countervailing policies. The Developer's Dilemma explores this 'Kuznetsian tension' between structural transformation and income inequality.

The book asks: what are the varieties of structural transformation that have been experienced in developing countries? What inequality dynamics are associated with each variety of structural transformation? And what policies have been utilized to manage trade-offs between structural transformation, income inequality, and inclusive growth? Across nine country cases written by academics across the Global South, this book answers these questions using a comparative case study approach with a common analytical framework and a set of common datasets. The intended intellectual contribution of the book is to provide a comparative analysis of the relationship between structural transformation, income inequality, and inclusive growth; to do so empirically at a regional and national level, and to draw conclusions about the varieties of structural transformation, their inequality dynamics, and the policies that have been employed to mediate the developer's dilemma.

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Professor of Economics, Universitas Padjadjaran,Kunal Sen, Director, UNU-WIDER and Professor of Development Economics, University of Manchester,Andy Sumner, Professor of International Development, King's College London,Arief Yusuf, Professor of Economics, Universitas Padjadjaran

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is Under-secretary-general of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP (2018-present), and Professor of Economics at Universitas Padjadjaran.

Kunal Sen is Director of UNU-WIDER and Professor of Development Economics at the University of Manchester.

Andy Sumner is Professor of International Development at King's College London.

Arief Yusuf is Professor of Economics at Universitas Padjadjaran.