economic growth rising per capita output of material goods and services has the potential to make all citizens better off materially and to generate resources that can be used to achieve social goals and ensure that growth is maintained over the long term policy makers seek to improve the performance and longterm growth potential of economies taking into account countryspecific needs and circumstances including their level of development and institutional capacities because progress is measured essentially at the level of an average individual emphasis is placed on supplyside instruments or policy actions that lead to increases in per capita output of goods and services over the longer term employment prospects job satisfaction health outcomes and educational opportunities matter for people s wellbeing and are heavily conditioned by their socioeconomic status the most disadvantaged often live shorter lives and find it difficult to break away from a vicious circle of educational underachievement low skills and poor employment prospects