| FOREWORD
Globalization, the term used to summarize the increasingly
complex interdependence among nations and societies in terms
of financial flows, trade, industry and communication, has
spurred economic growth and contributed to a reduction in
poverty in the ESCAP region over the past four decades.
The impact of these aspects of globalization has not been
uniform, however, and socio-economic disparities between
and within some countries and areas in Asia and the Pacific
has widened during that period. In addition, the East and
South-East Asian financial crisis of 1997 and the current
global economic slowdown have highlighted the inadequate
systems of social protection in place in most countries
in the region, as millions of people have fallen below poverty
lines.
To alleviate these negative aspects of globalization, this
study calls for greater attention to social development,
both as the ultimate goal of economic development and as
a means of achieving such development. It argues that, for
economic development to continue, social development must
be self-sustaining. For this to occur, adequate investment
in human resources – the provision of education, health,
shelter and sanitation – is required. Productive employment
is the most effective way for people to participate in and
make their contribution to social and economic development.
People must participate also in the decision-making processes
that affect their lives, from the local to the national
levels. This study recognizes the interdependence of economic
and social development. Social and economic policies must
be integrated for either to be effective and sustaining.
It is my hope that this study will benefit policy makers,
planners, administrators, academics and others in formulating
and implementing effective policies and building national
capacities for the betterment of the lives of all in the
Asian and Pacific region.
Kim Hak-Su
Executive Secretary
UNESCAP
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