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2nd Concepts of Development Definitions Theories and Contemporary Perspectives

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Saima Azis
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17 views

2nd Concepts of Development Definitions Theories and Contemporary Perspectives

Uploaded by

Saima Azis
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Concept of

Development
Definitions, Theories and
Contemporary Perspectives
Definitions of Development

 For almost every writer a different


definition of development exists
 Important to first distinguish between:
 a. Development as a state or condition-
static
 b. Development as a process or course
of change- dynamic
Meaning of Development-Todaro

 Development is not purely an economic


phenomenon but rather a multi-
dimensional process involving
reorganization and reorientation of entire
economic AND social system
Meaning of Development-Todaro

 Development is not purely an economic


phenomenon but rather a multi-
dimensional process involving
reorganization and reorientation of entire
economic AND social system
 Development is process of improving the
quality of all human lives with three
equally important aspects. These are:
Todaro’s Three Objectives of
Development

1. Raising level of living, i.e.


incomes and consumption,
levels of food, medical services,
education through relevant
growth processes
Todaro’s Three Objectives of
Development

2. Creating conditions conducive to the


growth of peoples’ self-esteem through
the establishment of social, political and
economic systems and institutions which
promote human dignity and respect
Todaro’s Three Objectives of
Development

3. Increasing peoples’ freedom to choose by


enlarging the range of their choice
variables, e.g. varieties of goods and
services
Alternative Interpretations of
Development
 Development as Modernization-
emphasizes process of social change
which is required to produce economic
advancement; examines changes in
social, psychological and political
processes;
 How to develop wealth oriented behavior
and values in individuals; profit seeking
rather than subsistence and self
sufficiency
 Shift from commodity to human approach
with investment in education and skill
training
Alternative Interpretations of
Development
 Development as Distributive Justice- view
development as improving basic needs
 Interest in social justice which has raised
three issues:
 1.Nature of goods and services provided by
governments
 2. Matter of access of these public goods to
different social classes
 3. How burden of development can be shared
among these classes
 Target groups include small farmers,
landless, urban under-employed and
unemployed
Alternative Interpretations of
Development
 Development as Distributive Justice- view
development as improving basic needs
 Interest in social justice which has raised three issues:
1.Nature of goods and services provided by
governments
2.Matter of access of these public goods to different
social classes
3.How burden of development can be shared among
these classes
 Target groups include small farmers, landless, urban
under-employed and unemployed
Marxist View of Development
 Emphasizes Mode of Production -
elements and activities necessary to
produce and reproduce real, material life
 Capitalist (market economy) mode
depends on wage labor whose labor
power produces a surplus which is
accumulated and appropriated by the
employer-result is often class conflict in
capitalist societies
Sustainable Development

 Defined as development that is likely to


achieve lasting satisfaction of human
needs and improvement of the quality of
life and encompasses:
 Help for the very poorest who are left with
no option but to destroy their environment
to survive
 Idea of self-reliant development with
natural resource constraints
Sustainable Development

 Cost effective development using different


economic criteria to the traditional –i.e.
development should not degrade
environment
 Important issues of health control,
appropriate technologies, food self-
reliance, clean water and shelter for all
 People centered activities are necessary-
human beings are the resources in the
concept
Popular Development and
Environment
 Recognizes high “opportunity costs”
associated with irreversible environmental
damage
 Dealing with environmental problems
requires solutions sensitive to local social
and ecological conditions
 Society and nature relations are affected
by variations in class, gender and ethnicity
 “Reproductive squeeze” forces peasants
to intensify production in fragile
environments
Popular Development and Power
 How does the power structure affect
development?
 Examine sources of empowerment,
inequality and discrimination
 Need to devise more people centered
approaches which stress empowerment
and participation
 Empowerment as participatory
development seeks to engender self-help
and self-reliance but also effective
collective decision-making
What causes
underdevelopment?

 Very easy to focus on characteristics of


development
 For example we know that
underdevelopment is usually
characterized by: low per capita incomes,
low literacy and educational attainment,
lack of basic services- water and power
 But how do we EXPLAIN
underdevelopment?
Some Common ‘Theories”

 Old view that absence of development caused


by certain physical environments, particular
cultural traditions and value systems-
environmental and cultural determinism
 Lack of natural resources certainly impediment
to development but not impossible- example of
Japan
 Why has Japan succeeded?
Other Common Explanations of
Underdevelopment

 Instability and other adverse internal situations-


political factors
 Some truth to this as extended periods of
turbulence are not conducive to development
 Poor physical environment- lack of rainfall,
poor soils also may pose barriers to
development

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