This article is a keynote speech delivered at the 15th International Conference on Social Development at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2007.2 The author points out that one of the misgivings in development today is that many countries consider a higher GDP as the only worthwhile achievement one should go after. However, this economic indicator alone does not and cannot reflect accurately the real improvement of the standard of living of people. In this paper, the author suggests a better measurement for social development and improvement of livelihood should include public health, education, mortality and basic social security. There is no doubt economic development and wealth accumulation can bring certain improvements in daily lives, they should not be elevated to become the ultimate objective for human kind; rather, they are only means to improving life situations. What is more significant should be the pursuit of freedom for humanity. We have witnessed a continuous rise in the indicators measuring development in the developing world, but these increases have not brought commensurate reduction in poverty or advancement in livelihoods in real terms. Furthermore, by using the cases of China and India, the author has illustrated that there is no real connection between economic and social development. Instead better social policies can play a bigger role in advancing social and human development.

這篇文章是2007年在香港理工大學舉行的第十五屆國際社會發展年會的主題演講， 作者指出當今世界發展的一個謬誤就是許多國家皆把追求國民生產總值看成是唯一的目標， 然而這種經濟指標的增長並不能代表人民生活水平的真正改善。 在這篇文章中， 作者真正要指出的是一個社會的生活改善的衡量標准還需包括衛生醫療、教育、死亡率、基本生活保障等社會發展的指標。 經濟發展和財富的增加雖然能帶來生活的改善， 但它本身並不是我們人類追求的終極目標， 而只是達致生活改善的手段而已， 我們更重要追求的是人類的自由。 在世界許多國家發展的歷程中， 我們看到的卻是經濟指標的提升並沒有帶來貧困的消除和真正生活的改善。 在文章裡， 作者嘗試用中國和印度的例子來闡釋社會發展並不一定與經濟發展有必然的關系， 而完善的社會政策的推動其實更加能夠帶來更大的社會發展和人類的進步。

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