Productive growth

Sustained and inclusive economic growth is an essential requisite for poverty eradication and sustainable development. Productive infrastructure, access to ICT and new technologies, and a stable macroeconomic environment are some of the most important determinants of long-term growth. These are some of the topics covered in this theme of SDG Pulse, along with the mechanisms available to finance these policies.

1. We survey Robust and predictable financing sources that are available to finance policies and programmes to achieve progress along the SDGs, with an emphasis on external sources. The following SDG indicators are covered:
• SDG indicator 10.b.1: Total resource flows for development
• SDG indicator 17.3.1: FDI, ODA and South-South Cooperation
• SDG indicator 17.5.1: Implement investment promotion regimes for LDCs
2. We examine in greater details the role of Official support for sustainable development, including ODA and OOF, in financing sustainable development in LDCs and other countries in vulnerable situations. We focus especially on two sectoral areas:
• SDG indicator 2.a.2: Total official flows to the agriculture sector
• SDG indicator 9.a.1: Total official international support to infrastructure
3. We present the essential role of the transport sector in enabling trade and economic growth, along with the important challenges in Adapting transport for sustainable development. We present several information on this sector, including the official data for one indicator:
• SDG indicator 9.1.2: Passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport
4. We next study the Potential benefits and risks of ICT; while new technologies can bring significant leaps in productivity, they can also create barriers of entry and exacerbate inequalities. The data for the following SDG indicators are presented:
• SDG indicator 9.c.1: Proportion of population covered by a mobile network
• SDG indicator 17.6.2: Fixed Internet broadband subscriptions
• SDG indicator 17.8.1: Proportion of individuals using the Internet
5. We tackle debt as another financing mechanism for development, along with the Growing concerns on debt sustainability in developing countries.
• SDG indicator 17.4.1: Debt service as a share of exports of goods and services
6. We finally present the importance of Tackling illicit financial flows as one of the most pressing aspects in financing for development, one that could derail progress along all SDGs.
• SDG indicator 16.4.1: Total value of inward and outward illicit financial flows

As shown in the statistics and insights presented in SDG Pulse, there are great opportunities to use infrastructure, new technologies, sound economic policy and stable financing mechanisms as enablers of growth. However, these same areas, when not properly managed, could also become obstacles for development. The SDG indicators allow countries to monitor these areas and choose the right policies to achieve high economic growth in a sustained and environmentally friendly manner.