Development Theory

Sandra Halperin

The use of the term development to refer to national economic growth emerged in the United States beginning in the 1940s and in association with a key American foreign policy concern: How to shape the future of the newly independent states in ways that would ensure that they would not be drawn into the communist Soviet Bloc. Motivated by this concern, the United States enlisted its social scientists to study and devise ways of promoting capitalist economic development and political stability in what was termed the developing world. Development theory refers to the research and writing that resulted from this effort. As will be discussed later, there are different conceptions of development and, consequently, disparate approaches to the subject. However, all approaches are concerned with the relationship between development and governance: Development is usually seen as crucially determined by structures of governance; governance is interpreted through and shaped by the ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.