Tag: Theories of development

  • Post-Development Perspectives

    The Post-Development Perspective became popular in the 1990s. Theorists from within this perspective are critical of Western models of development, arguing that development was always unjust, that it never worked, and that developing countries should find their own pathways to development. Escobar (2008) criticised modernisation theory for being ethnocentric. He argued that it was only…

  • Why Nations Fail: A Summary

    Failed nation states have a history of ‘extractive institutions’, successful ones have developed more inclusive institutions.

  • People Centered Development

    This post provides a brief summary of people centred development approaches to social development, including the work of Vandana Shiva. Why are developing countries underdeveloped? People Centered Development Theorists generally agree with Dependency Theory about why some countries are underdeveloped – because of a history of exploitation and extraction by western Nation States and TNCs.…

  • The Neoliberal Theory of Economic Development

    According to neoliberalism big government and too much official development aid prevent economic and social development, while deregulation, privatisation and lowering taxation are required to achieve economic growth. This post outlines the neoliberal approach development and then briefly assesses the effectiveness of neoliberal policies. What is Neoliberalsm? While the usage of the term neoliberalism varies…

  • World Systems Theory

    Core countries exploit those on the periphery in a global economic system.