第二次世界大战结束后,许多经济落后和新独立的国家开始采取主动,积极发展它们的国民经济。很多国家都拟定了短期或中期的发展计划。在这些计划里,或是在政府公布的经济发展政策文件中,都首先提到发展目标。最初,大多数国家注重加速经济增长,提高生活水平;后来渐渐也提到收入的合理分配,达到充分就业,平衡国际收支和自力更生,减少贫穷等等。一般说,早期所提的发展目标较为单纯,后来在遇到发展过程中发生的其他问题需要解决时,就逐渐加上了别的目标。可是这些目标之间,有的虽能相辅相成,有的则可能互相矛盾。因此在选择和确定发展目标时,不能不首先了解其含义。发展目标的选择是有时间性的。比如在战后,基础设施(如交通、电力)严重短缺,需要尽快修建时,就很难有余力同时提高人民的消费水平。但是当基础设施已不甚短缺时,提高人民生活水平很自然地就成为主要的发展目标了。再如当经济高度增长持续相当长久, After the Second World War, many economically backward and newly independent countries began to take the initiative to actively develop their national economy. Many countries have drawn up short- or medium-term development plans. In these plans, or in government-issued economic development policy documents, the development goals are mentioned first. Initially, most countries focused on accelerating economic growth and raising their standard of living. Later on, they gradually mentioned the rational distribution of income, full employment, balancing the balance of payments and self-reliance, reducing poverty and so on. In general, the earlier mentioned development goals were simpler and later others were gradually added when other problems that had arisen during the course of development were to be solved. However, although some of these goals can complement each other, others may contradict each other. Therefore, in selecting and determining the development goals, we must first understand its meaning. The choice of development goals is time-bound. For example, after the war, when there was a serious shortage of infrastructure (such as transport and electricity) and needed to be built as soon as possible, it would be very difficult to increase the people’s consumption level at the same time. However, when the infrastructure is no longer scarce, raising the standard of living of the people naturally becomes a major development goal. Another example is when the economic growth has continued for a long time,