UPSC Mains 2015 GS Paper 4 Q4a: model answer
"Social values are more important than economic values." Discuss the above statement with examples in the context of inclusive growth of a nation.
What the question wants
Discuss, with examples, the claim that social values matter more than economic values for a nation's inclusive growth.
How to structure it
Define, examples, balanced view.
- Social vs economic values
- Why social values matter more for inclusion
- Examples
- Balance
How to think it through
Social values: equality, compassion, cooperation, dignity, trust; economic: efficiency, profit, productivity, growth. Inclusive growth needs both, but social values decide distribution. Examples: Kerala's social development with modest income (high HDI), Amul cooperative, SHGs Kudumbashree, discrimination limits growth (women's LFPR), Gujarat vs Kerala debate, Bangladesh social indicators. Balance: economic growth funds welfare; social values guide it.
Model answer
In the 1970s, economists began talking about the 'Kerala model': a state with modest income levels but literacy, life expectancy and infant survival close to those of rich countries. Its secret was not more money but social values: education for all, health care, and women's participation.
Social and economic values
- Economic values: efficiency, productivity, profit and growth.
- Social values: equality, dignity, compassion, cooperation and trust.
Why social values matter more for inclusive growth
- They decide who shares in growth, not just how much growth there is.
- Discrimination wastes talent: low female labour participation holds back GDP.
- Trust and cooperation build institutions like Amul, which made millions of small dairy farmers partners in growth.
- Kudumbashree in Kerala shows how women's collectives turn social bonds into income.
- Compassion shapes welfare: food security, health insurance and pensions.
- Growth without fairness breeds unrest, as protests over land and jobs show.
A balanced view
- Economic growth pays for schools and hospitals; without it, social goals stay on paper.
- So social values should guide economic values, not replace them.
Growth tells us how fast the train is moving; social values tell us whether everyone has a seat.
Draw: A train: economic values as the engine, social values as the coaches carrying everyone.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
social vs economic values, Kerala model, HDI, female LFPR, Amul, Kudumbashree, inclusive growth, trust, compassion, welfare.
Where most answers lose marks
- Treating economic values as bad; the question asks for a discussion, so show both roles.
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Fresh examples from current affairs
Supreme Court: no prior approval under Section 17A needed to probe a bribe demand
In a judgment of 16 October 2026, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices S.V.N. Bhatti and N.V. Anjaria held that investigating a bribe demand by a public servant does not need prior approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Asking for a bribe, the court said, is not part of discharging official duties.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Sections 7, 7A, 17A and 19 of the PC Act. · Mains GS-II/GS-IV: honest officers versus accountability.
19 Oct 2026Learn the concept
Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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