Some individuals are of the claim that economic development is the critical driver for improving the quality of citizens’ life. My opinion expresses a partial alignment with this school of thought due to some major reasons that are examined in this essay.
On the one hand, there is persuasive rationale for many people to believe that a better living quality can be attained if the economy is on an upward trajectory. An optimal quality of life can only be achieved if equality is virtually present among all socioeconomic groups within a country, which can manifest itself as the effortless accessibility to education and healthcare as well as the ability to afford necessities such as food and shelter. On this matter, economic progression brings about higher disposable income for individuals along with more financial resources for governments that could be allocated to effectively fulfill such requirements, ultimately helping citizens enjoy a life with more certainty and security.
On the other hand, the notion that there is a mutually exclusive relationship between a high quality of living and economic development may have some significant flaws since there are many social and economic factors as well as other determinants of an optimal quality of life that can not be simply influenced by a mere increase in GDP. The situation of China – one of the largest and strongest economies in the world, would provide a great example for this. Despite experiencing a steady increase in economic growth over the past decade, a major portion of its people still suffer from extreme poverty and inequality due to the nation’s reliance on manual labour and the inherent social chasm that has long been inherent in the history of modern society. In addition, while the nature of having budget sufficiency thanks to economic development is practically ideal for most countries, it is still up to whether each government’s policies, particularly government spending, are framed and implemented with the aim to meet the basic needs and better the lives of its citizens. In light of this, an improved living quality is not always guaranteed.
In conclusion, while I do concede that economic development is an imperative facilitator to improve the quality of life by granting more resources for people to meet their needs, I believe claiming it to be the sole necessary requirement might not be reasonable due to the fact that there exist other factors and concerns in practice such as government policies and socioeconomic characteristics that can hinder the true effect it can potentially have on increasing people’s living quality.