Can there be growth without development?

The two terms are always used in tandem when describing the state of  a nation in the same way that peace and order or graft and corruption are  raised in a discussion or forum.

But according to a new study by the United Nations, the country can be  expected to sustain the expansion in its economy without a qualitative   improvement  in the way of life of its people.

Indeed, the greatest wealth of a nation  is its human resources. Human  development, therefore, should be factored into the computation of the national  output.

And yet in the case of this poor excuse for a country, growth is being  achieved without such development. Indeed, while overall economic output is  increasing, poverty and hunger are worsening.

According to a new study of the United Nations, the Philippines is  seen to sustain post-crisis economic growth but this would  be achieved “without  development” and “(one) that increases poverty” partly due to a large and expanding population.

Data from the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2011 show that  growth of the domestic economy will ease from 7.3 percent in 2010 to a moderate  5.2 percent in 2011.

This is attributed to an expected dampening of remittances from overseas  Filipinos—which drive consumption in the country—due to recent events in the  Middle  East and in Japan.

Renaud Meyer, director of the UN Development Program in the Philippines, noted  that the “fairly stable growth” of the economy in the past 10 years  has not made a significant dent in poverty.

Meyer gave keynote remarks during the launch of the survey results held at the  Astoria Plaza Hotel in Pasig City.

He said that even as income growth has not automatically translated into  improvements in the welfare of the poor, the country’s growing population has  become a “challenging concern.”

“Poverty in the Philippines may be explained in part by population growth. It  is, therefore, imperative that a rational population-management policy be  enforced by the government immediately, despite vigorous opposition   from vigorous lobby groups,” he was quoted by a major broadsheet as saying.

A proposed law on reproductive health is  pending in Congress amid  impassioned debate between its supporters and those against it, mainly the Roman  Catholic Church.

Renaud said that economic growth in the past decade has not brought  development and has been far from inclusive.

“At worst, it is growth that increases poverty, benefiting few industries, few  regions, and few sectors of society,” he said.

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, which released  the study, called for economic policies that focus on creating opportunities for  works in the formal and non-agricultural sectors to move into better jobs.

“Considering that labor is one of the few assets of the poor, creating more and  better jobs will help the poor earn their way out of poverty,” the agency said.