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The Growth Blog is a forum for you - the policy maker, the academic, the student, and the interested citizen of the world - to agree, disagree, or simply to engage current practitioners on policies and issues critical to development. This platform was inspired by the series of meetings that the Commission on Growth and Development held around the world over the course of the last two years. Of the many lessons that emerged in the deliberations, the one that stands out is that inclusive growth requires inclusive thinking, and inclusive discussion.

 

David Weil's blog

Health and Growth: A Heretical View?

Submitted by David Weil on Tue, 06/16/2009 - 11:23.
Conventional wisdom in the development community includes the following two ideas:
1)       There is good evidence that health improvements in poor countries lead to significant increases in GDP per capita.
 
2)      Idea (1) is an important consideration for policy making.
I would like to propose a heretical take on these questions:
1)      Available data and theory do not support the conclusion that health improvements in poor countries lead to significant increases in GDP per capita.
 
2)      Idea (1) is not relevant for policy making.
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