Seven decades of development?

A short introduction to some of the big

concepts of post-war development theory

Tobias Denskus

ComDev-ECLA Berlin seminar, 8 & 9 November 2013

Overview of the presentation

• Modernity – post-WWII-1950s• Critique – 1960s-early 1970s• Hope – 1970s• Disillusionment – late 1970s-mid

1980s• New Dawn – post-1989-late

1990s• Beginning (?)– 2000-now

The belief in development‘As a buzzword, (development) has been used

time and again to promote a system that is neither viable, nor sustainable, nor fit to live in. (…). The question therefore remains: given the amount of information that scientists have gathered on

the manifold natural (actually human-made) hazards that may impinge on our daily lives, why is it that

we do not believe in what we know to be certain? The answer, probably, lies in the fact that our

belief in ‘development’ is still too strong to be

undermined by scientific certainty’. (Rist in Cornwall, pp.24-25)

The complexities of shooting the development messenger

• Development reflects dominant discourses of each era

• Development is intertwined with social, political, historical & cultural debates

• Development’s ‘failures’ and ‘successes’ often happen as a continuum rather than a dichotomy:• Foresight & hindsight• Stability & change• Power & knowledge• Leadership & bureaucracy

Growth, bipolarity, containment & …growth – Rostow’s stage model

Looks easy on paper – Post-war approaches to liberal modernization

States, global capitalism & the re-imagination of center-periphery relations

– Latin America & dependency theory

New Right ideas on state, market & economy – Structural adjustment

Structural adjustment: Reality vs. ideologyPolicies Official aims Actual experience

Currency devaluation

Increase exports and

reduce imports

Little evidence of increased export earnings; commodity prices fell more

with increased competition from exporters

Export promotion

Earn foreign exchange for

debt repayment

Export crops replaced food crops; ecological damage; rural

displacements; earnings for debt, not investment

Government spending cuts

Reduce excessive demand

Cuts in education, health & service budgets

Privatization Enterprises becoming more

efficient

Reduced employment; long-term service quality & accessibility

Unrestricted imports

Improve efficiency &

competitiveness

Drainage of foreign exchange; undermining of local economy

The end of history…and conflict, ideology & underdevelopment

- Post-1989 expectations• Success of liberal capitalism and ‘the free market’• Trust in multipolar global governance• Expectations of inclusive civic engagement

through global civil society & new social movements • Peaceful conflict

resolution through UN & regional organisations

Putting industry (back) into development industry

- The ‘–isation’ years

• NGO-isation• Depolit-isation• Professional-isation• Corporat-isation• Academ-isation

BRICS & the future of development – New actors, countries & alliances

• The emergence of Brazil, India, China & South Africa

• Philanthrocapitalism and –capitalists (Bill G., Bill C., Bono)

• New corporate engagement – large & small• Merging of aid, trade & foreign policy

(e.g. Canada & Australia)

Conclusion II

• Modernity – post-WWII-1950s• Critique – 1960s-early 1970s• Hope – 1970s• Disillusionment – late 1970s-mid

1980s• New Dawn – post-1989-late

1990s• Beginning (?)– 2000-now

Thank you!

Emailtobias@aidnography.de

Bloghttp://www.aidnography.de

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