 | This article may be very hard to understand. In particular, it uses both very general statements which are not further clarified or contextualized, and technical jargon that is not explained. (August 2016) |
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (January 2012) |
Unbalanced growth is a natural path of economic development. Situations that countries are in at any one point in time reflect their previous investment decisions and development. Accordingly, at any point in time desirable investment programs that are not balanced investment packages may still advance welfare. Unbalanced investment can complement or correct existing imbalances. Once such an investment is made, a new imbalance is likely to appear, requiring further compensating investments. Therefore, growth need not take place in a balanced way. Supporters of the unbalanced growth doctrine include Albert O. Hirschman, Hans Singer, Paul Streeten, Marcus Fleming, Prof. Rostov and J. Sheehan.