There may be various reasons for “economic growth lopsided” nations, i.e. those
which have high rates of GDP growth relative to the improvement in human development
indicators, including government corruption, low social expenditures, or inequitably
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distributed incomes. A recent analysis of such cases raises concerns about the
sustainability of this state, e.g., Ranis, Stewart, and Ramirez (2000) find that of the eight
EG-lopsided nations in 1960-70, all eight moved to the vicious cycle of low EG/low HD.
These results suggest that good economic growth not accompanied by increases in human
development may prove to be ultimately unsustainable.