1. Critical Issues/Enjeux critiques

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The concepts and practices of development have evolved over time. Here we explore how development has been studied and understood, and how the changing political, societal and economic relations have influenced—and been influenced by—trends in development theory. Concepts of poverty have evolved to include measures of health, education, literacy and happiness, in addition to income. The role of women has been recognized as key to development and gender equity.



Les concepts et les pratiques du développement ont évolué au fil du temps. Nous nous intéressons ici à la manière dont on a étudié et compris le développement, et à la façon dont l’évolution des relations politiques, sociétales et économiques a exercé une influence sur la théorie du développement et vice versa. En évoluant, les concepts de pauvreté en sont venus à englober les mesures non seulement du revenu, mais aussi de la santé, de l’éducation, de la littératie et du bonheur. On a reconnu que les femmes jouaient un rôle essentiel en matière de développement et d’équité entre les sexes.



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Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Development evaluation
    (2013) Rogers, Patricia J.; Fraser, Dugan I.
    Different approaches to development evaluation are discussed in this chapter, noting that most have been present throughout the history of development but with certain approaches emphasized and promoted at different historical points for political and other reasons. The paper shows how these approaches to development evaluation reflect different ideas about what development is and how evaluation can contribute to improving it. It brings together insights from different disciplines and sectors regarding the evolution of evaluation approaches and their applications.
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    Composite indices of development
    (2013) Santos, Maria Emma; Santos, Georgina
    This chapter examines the motivation for the emergence of composite indices of development and the main grounds on which they have been criticized. A composite index is a function of variables and weights that maps attainments in a variety of attributes into a single real number. While portfolios of development indicators are informative and necessary, there is also a need for a summary measure that combines these indicators into a single number. This approach has given rise to the construction of composite indices of development.
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    Women's economic roles and the development paradigm
    (2013) Tinker, Irene; Zuckerman, Elaine
    The social construction of gender reflected in development theory has been increasingly challenged by women in both developed and developing countries. This chapter traces the evolution of the development paradigm in response to recognition of women’s economic roles. It charts the shifts in thinking and in action, and relates them to developments in scholarly research, to activism in developing and developed countries, and to global fora that helped change the paradigm.
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    Inequality and development : an overview
    (2013) Stewart, Frances; Samman, Emma
    This chapter analyzes inequality—why it matters, how it is defined, how it has been changing, and how it might be reduced. It considers inequality among people and among social groups, and the issues associated with each. The main focus is on vertical (individual) and horizontal (group) inequality. Income distribution remains important in helping to determine access to various freedoms. The range of policies relevant to reducing inequality is well known, however it does not form much of current policy agenda, largely because of a lack of political support.
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    Poverty in development thought : symptom or cause
    (2013) Hulme, David
    Part of the book “International development: ideas, experience and prospects," this analysis concludes by considering whether a synthesis is emerging from structuralist and liberal understandings of poverty, or is merely an uneasy compromise, while each “side” looks for a way to regain a dominant position. The chapter examines contestations over how poverty analysis is positioned in development theory; charts the conceptual contestations around poverty; presents a brief history of poverty in development thought and action; and looks at the contrasting geographies of contemporary poverty.
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    Development strategy : balancing market and government failure
    (2013) Devarajan, Shantayanan; Kanbur, Ravi
    In the future, development thinking may be dominated by two issues that go beyond the “market-versus-state” dichotomy: sub-national pockets of poverty, and global public goods. This chapter concludes by noting that development economics thinking proceeds in evolutionary rather than revolutionary steps, with each shift building on the experience of the previous phase. It examines the evolution of development economics thinking in the post-Second World War period as a constantly shifting balance between emphasis on market failure and emphasis on government failure.
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    Fifty years of growth economics
    (2013) Yusuf, Shahid
    Growth economics is arguably overdue for a “scientific revolution” to accommodate new demands, such as enlarging the menu of practical policy options so as to: enable countries to increase capital investment towards (green) technology; improve education delivery in order to enhance the quality of human capital, increase employability and arrive at equitable outcomes; and implement institutional reforms to yoke and temper market forces. The purpose of this chapter is to review how thinking on growth has evolved since the 1950s through the interplay of international politics, country-level experience, and theorizing – almost exclusively conducted in Western countries.
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    Development theories
    (2013) Harriss, John
    The history of development theories suggests that specialists should resist pressure to embrace consensus, as no theory is immune to changes in social values or current policy problems. Development is not just a matter of economic growth; the way the economy is organized and the productivity of economic activity are unquestionably of central importance in any consideration of development. The same factors can have different implications in different contexts. Pluralist institutional theories pay more attention to context, and at least promise to advance the objective of “development as freedom.” This chapter traces development theory over the past 50 years.
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    Study of development
    (2013) Williams, David
    The chapter examines the emergence of the modern study of development and the ways in which the problems and processes of “development” have been studied, recognizing that the often abstract work of economics needs to become more firmly anchored in an appreciation of the complexity of the process of development. The paper suggests that a 'learning process' is at work within the broad field of the study of development.