It increases individual incomes that are critical to satisfying basic needs and is a source of resource mobilization for Governments to invest in development. For the world as a whole, the period from 2000 to 2007/08 was a time of rising economic growth as well as increasing macroeconomic stability. The increased policy space of this period represented an opportunity for economic policies to enable progress towards achieving development goals. An important number of countries increased social public expenditure both in absolute terms as well as relative to total government expenditures, signalling that the economic bonanza made room for development policies.