Economic growth: Brazil, India, Japan c.1

THIS VOLUME of papers bearing upon several aspects of the economic growth of Brazil, India, and Japan is the product of a research conference planned by the Committee on Economic Growth of the Social Science Research Council beginning in 1950, and held under its auspices in the spring of 1952.
The aspects of growth to be stressed, the countries whose economic development would be reviewed, and the conference method of handling the topic were chosen after careful deliberation. Discussions in the Committee took cognizance from the very beginning of the wide ramifications of the field of economic growth; interest centered not only on measurement but also on the treatment of the immediate and the more deeply seated de termining factors even though the historical frame of reference was limited to the last two centuries. The obvious problem of interrelation among the several aspects of economic growth having been recognized, it seemed that an experimental attack on the treatment of at least some of these aspects for several countries should be fruitful, if only in reveal ing more specifically the difficulties that were likely to be encountered. The Committee therefore decided that among its earliest efforts would be an attempt to treat selected aspects of economic growth for each of several countries with the general query in mind whether and how comparable and testable results could be secured.