Since 1947 the World Economic and Social Survey has promoted a broader understanding of development, emphasizing the importance of advancing the structural transformation of the economy, progress in social development and environmental sustainability. This year’s edition, Reflecting on 70 years of development policy analysis, shows that many parallels can be drawn between the challenges currently facing the international community and those that confronted the world in the past. These lessons from the past are relevant to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In particular, the Survey highlights the importance of a stable global economy supported by coordinated global actions, well-functioning international trade and monetary systems, respect for national policy space, international solidarity and development planning.

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• Full report
• Press release
• Overview: العربية, 中文, English, Français, Русский, Español
• Chapter I: What have we learned in seventy years of development policy analysis?
• Chapter II: Post-war reconstruction and development in the Golden Age of Capitalism
• Chapter III: The end of the Golden Age, the debt crisis and development setbacks
• Chapter IV: Globalization meets the Millennium Development Goals
• Chapter V: A new context for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• Bibliography
• Annex
• Appendix
• Annex Data Files (zip)
• Related Policy Briefs
• Media Kit