Economic growth and social welfare : operationalising normative social choice theory This book studies the relationships between economic growth and social welfare and the policy implications of these relationships for development. Understanding the relationships between economic growth and social welfare is an enduring issue within contemporary development economics and welfare economics. These relationships are analysed in this book by operationalising normative social choice theory. Normative social choice theory is an appropriate approach as it explicitly incorporates societys preferences values and choices in determining how social welfare should be defined and measured. Two approaches aggregate and hierarchical are developed and empirically applied to Thailand for a twenty five year period 1975 1999. This book concludes that in terms of social welfare economic growth cannot always be assumed desirable. What is needed is social welfare enhancing economic growth. A review of the policy implications of this finding is also undertaken Introduction Sardar M.N. Islam Economic growth and social welfare in Thailand Sardar M.N. Islam Economic growth and social welfare : a hierarchical approach Sardar M.N. Islam Contemporary development issues and economic growth Sardar M.N. Islam Welfare analysis of economic growth on social welfare Sardar M.N. Islam Conclusions and summary Sardar M.N. Islam Economic growth and social welfare : an aggregate approach Sardar M.N. Islam Empirical application of the aggregate approach Sardar M.N. Islam. This book studies the relationships between economic growth and social welfare and the policy implications of these relationships for development. Understanding the relationships between economic growth and social welfare is an enduring issue within contemporary development economics and welfare economics. These relationships are analysed in this book by operationalising normative social choice theory. Normative social choice theory is an appropriate approach as it explicitly incorporates societys preferences values and choices in determining how social welfare should be defined and measured. Two approaches aggregate and hierarchical are developed and empirically applied to Thailand for a twenty five year period 1975 1999. This book concludes that in terms of social welfare economic growth cannot always be assumed desirable. What is needed is social welfare enhancing economic growth. A review of the policy implications of this finding is also undertaken