Economic growth is sought after because it makes it possible to resolve the ills of an economy (unemployment, debt, establishment of infrastructure, etc.) but where does it come from? This sequence first of all invites us to highlight the origins of economic growth. To produce, we need factors of production (labor and capital); to produce more, therefore, more factors of production are needed. However, it is also possible to produce more without increasing the quantities of labor and capital, thanks to technical progress, the latter allowing growth to be self-sustaining. Finally, we will see that institutions also play a central role to increasing GDP.

The second step is to show that economic growth does not only have advantages. Technical progress (which enables growth) is responsible for a number of inequalities and the increase in GDP often comes at the expense of the environment; the solution then being to strive for sustainable development.