The False Choice Between Prosperity and Equity

Nepal's political debate often treats prosperity and equity as competing goals. Public debate tends to emphasize one or the other rather than the policies that advance both. Yet for a country as poor as Nepal, this is largely a false choice. Nepal suffers from two shortages simultaneously: too little prosperity and too little opportunity. The challenge is not choosing between growth and equity but identifying policies that advance both. While rich countries sometimes face trade-offs, poor countries like Nepal often do not. Many of the same policies that expand opportunity also promote economic growth.