Growth Pole Theory was proposed by which economist?

• A. Francois Perroux
• B. Walter Rostow
• C. Immanuel Wallerstein
• D. Thomas Malthus

Answer: (A)

Growth Pole Theory focuses on concentrating investment and growth in a strategic place—one or more growth poles—so that the surrounding area benefits through linkages and spillovers, spreading development outward. This idea was proposed by French economist François Perroux in the mid-20th century as a way to stimulate regional development by making a pole drive economic activity in the broader region. The growth in the pole creates backward linkages to suppliers and forward linkages to markets and industries, producing a diffusion effect that lifts nearby areas. Walter Rostow is associated with stages of economic growth, not growth poles; Immanuel Wallerstein developed world-systems theory; and Thomas Malthus is known for population-resource dynamics.