The Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2015

The Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2015 presents a beta benchmarking framework consisting of seven policy pillars and 15 sub-pillars to assess how countries translate economic growth into broad-based living standards. Analyzing 112 countries across four income groups, the report argues that inclusive growth is not a luxury of high-income nations and that there is no inherent trade-off between social inclusion and economic competitiveness. Key findings highlight that no country is a top performer across all dimensions and that market-based institutional levers (such as education and business ethics) are as critical as fiscal transfers in reducing inequality. The report provides detailed country profiles and a dashboard of national KPIs to help policymakers move from aspirational goals to actionable national strategies.

• No country in the study is a top performer across all 15 sub-pillars of the inclusive growth framework, indicating that all nations have room for institutional improvement.
• There is no inherent conflict between promoting social inclusion and maintaining economic growth or competitiveness; some of the most competitive economies also maintain strong inclusive growth profiles.
• While fiscal transfers are a tool for reducing inequality, they are not always the most effective option; some countries achieve low inequality due to modest pre-transfer levels of inequality rather than aggressive redistribution.
• Institutional support for social inclusion is not exclusive to high-income countries, with significant overlap in absolute scores across three of the four income groups in areas such as business ethics, tax codes, and educational quality.
• The current global debate on inequality is considered too narrow because it focuses almost exclusively on labor up-skilling and redistribution, ignoring other critical levers like business entrepreneurship and investment environments.
• Technological advancement has the potential to foster inclusive growth by empowering small enterprises and democratizing access to education and financial services, though it can also displace jobs.
• The report identifies regional clustering in institutional performance, such as Eastern European countries showing relative weakness in tax systems but strength in education and skills.
• In advanced economies, Norway is noted for high female labor force participation and low unemployment, while Singapore is highlighted for high growth but low use of fiscal transfers and high poverty rates.
• Among upper-middle income countries, Poland is recognized for high quality and equitable education, while Venezuela is described as failing to exploit available policy space across most inclusive growth measures.
• In low-income countries, Rwanda is identified as a leader in business and political ethics, whereas Chad is described as struggling across all measured areas of the framework.

APA

Samans, R., Blanke, J., Corrigan, G., & Drzeniek, M. (2015). The Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2015. World Economic Forum. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Forum_IncGrwth.pdf

Chicago

Samans, Richard, Jennifer Blanke, Gemma Corrigan, and Margareta Drzeniek. The Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2015. World Economic Forum, 2015. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Forum_IncGrwth.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Samans |first1=Richard |last2=Blanke |first2=Jennifer |last3=Corrigan |first3=Gemma |last4=Drzeniek |first4=Margareta |title=The Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2015 |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=September 2015 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Forum_IncGrwth.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{samans2015inclusive, author = {Samans, Richard and Blanke, Jennifer and Corrigan, Gemma and Drzeniek, Margareta}, title = {{The Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2015}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = sep, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Forum_IncGrwth.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }