Introduction to Quality Growth: Concept, Theoretical Background, Policy and Measurement

This open access book presents a new approach to growth amid international efforts toward sustainable development Quality growth considers inclusiveness, resilience to external shocks (natural disasters, infectious diseases, financial crises etc.) and sustainability in terms of climate and environmental change as integral parts of growth, thereby maximizing people’s wellbeing. This approach aims to complement and advance the SDGs before moving beyond them to address broader challenges. This book seeks to elucidate the concept of quality growth from the perspective of economic theory and is primarily intended as an academic resource for practitioners, researchers and students interested in development. The conceptual approach part of the book covered in Chapters 1 to 9 provides a comprehensive review of theoretical background that underpin this approach and a proposal on how quality growth could be measured. The country case study part of the book, Chapters 10 to 14, considers how growth, inclusiveness, sustainability, and resilience have evolved in practice, with an in-depth analysis of case studies from five countries. This book is to discuss the interrelationships among growth, inclusiveness, sustainability, and resilience in an integrated manner, a feature rarely found in other works. The proposed measures for quality growth also add value to the international debates over indicators that extend “beyond GDP.”

Koki HIROTA is a former Visiting Fellow at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development. He worked for 37 years in Japan’s development assistance agencies, serving as JICA’s Chief Economist, Director General of Operation Strategy Department, Director General of Southeast Asia and Pacific Department etc. He earned his PhD. in Economics from Saitama University in 2014. From April 2018 to March 2024, he was a Professor at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Saitama University, Japan. His main research area includes Public Policies, Development Economics, and Development Cooperation.