What does ‘sustainable’ development really mean?

This is a guest article from our friends at The Mwayi Project, a non-profit organisation that we support.

Development is more than just impact. Positive shocks to an economy dissipate quickly and the economy returns to its established growth trajectory unless multiplier effects kick in and the initial shock is propagated into becoming a more permanent effect. The momentum effect visible in Newton’s cradle is a good way to think about this; the slightest friction or disruption or a bad choice of material will cause the momentum to dissipate. The initial shock of raising and dropping the first ball will have no perpetual effect on the motion of the cradle. Similarly, it is imperative that the anatomy of development is understood so that the ‘impact trap’ – the false appearance of development – can be avoided and critical momentum can be achieved.

On that basis, the idea of sustainable development has no further meaning. If it is not sustainable, then it is not development. Sustainability is a term that has come to be used in the context of development in developed countries. That is, to worry about whether something is sustainable is to worry about whether current strong progress can be sustained in the future. Sustainability is, for the most part, associated with environmental concerns, changing social norms, political correctness, resource depletion, the avoidance of controversy, and other similar factors. Although these concepts apply to developing economies as well, they are more a concern for those economies that have already surmounted the fundamental challenges of development. More important for developing economies is to ensure that progress can be achieved at all and that their populations can escape absolute poverty. The fundamental concern is that of dignified human life, and that is achieved through economic development that is sustainable as defined in a much more fundamental way. Therefore, where we use the terms ‘development’ and ‘sustainable development’, they should be read as interchangeable.

This was a guest article from our friends at The Mwayi Project, a non-profit organisation that we support. If you would like to learn more about The Mwayi Project, please comment on this article or visit their website at www.mwayi.org and send them a message directly.