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"Before the G-7 meeting in Japan, several member countries indicated they understood that their individual and collective policy stances needed to evolve."

source: http://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-05-27/central-banks-can-t-go-it-alone-anymore

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The word evolution describes change that is the result of an organic or natural reaction to environmental factors over a long period of time. Meaning no one controls such a process but it's purely "formed" by the environment.

So this is sometimes used as a really polite or face-saving way of saying "change" without placing blame on anyone.

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  • Your definition kind of neatly described biological evolution by natural selection. But if I were to say, for instance, that an organisation's policies have evolved over time, my intended meaning would not be that the process was 'natural / under no-one's control'.To me, 'Evolution' in this context just means changing/adapting in response to external pressures. – Tom B Nov 25 '16 at 13:07
  • Sometimes to be polite or non-threatening we wish to express things in a way where a person isn't the source of the activity, and it is true the meaning is blurred, inaccurate, or distorted sometimes. It sounds less "dictator-like" to say "our policies evolved into X" rather than "X said we have to do these policies now." Especially in things like international treaties and multilateral agreements you can expect a lot of euphemism like this. – LawrenceC Nov 26 '16 at 16:03
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It is referring to the improvements that need to made in the current policies. "Evolving" is about enhancement and becoming better than its previous state (think of it like a Pokemon 😂)

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To be transformed from one form into another by a process of gradual modification, esp. from a more rudimentary to a more highly organized condition - Oxford English Dictionary

The G-7 member countries are saying that their current policies in relation to their central banks lack the depth and maturity that is needed for the job and that improving them will be a process of many steps - the article gives examples of the things that need to be done.

So, rather than a single, radical change that solves everything they are proposing that the policies grow in the same way that an organism evolves to meet the challenges and opportunities of its environment

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The company has evolved over time from a simple telephone company to a telephone company, Internet provider and communications specialist.

The evolution of the thumb allowed human beings to become tool-makers.

The people of Venus have evolved over time into super-humans who are capable of breathing under water, and communicating through thought waves. from the source: http://www.use-in-a-sentence.com/english-words/academic-words-english/evolution.htm

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    Welcome to ELL! While giving more examples of this word used in context isn't a bad idea, it's much more efficient to give a direct explanation of what it means, rather than expecting the asker to puzzle it out for themselves. – Nathan Tuggy Dec 26 '16 at 10:12

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