The 2010 Growth and Development Bridge Index Report

Book excerpt: A new index is born ! The Growth and Development Bridge (GDB) index. The Growth and Development Bridge index has been developed to gauge the quality of countries' economic fundamentals. What are the determinants of growth and development ? What makes countries rich and others poor ? These are the kind of issues that the newly-created 'Growth and Development Bridge' index tries to address, building on the findings of the vast literature on economic development on sustainable growth and development, which remains the most important question in economics. The question of sustainable growth and development takes an acute perspective and more pressing concern as the world grapples with the worst financial crisis since the 1929 Great Depression.