Conceptualising Development
Sociology 352
January 12, 2007
Class outline
Thinking about the global south
 Philosophical roots of the concept of
‘development’
 Ways of defining development
 How can development be measured?
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Thinking about the ‘global
south’
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From Wednesday’s class:
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Varied conditions in different countries and
regions
Factors to consider in development
Economic
 Social
 Political/governmental
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Thinking about the global south
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Terms: third world, less developed,
underdeveloped, developing, global south,
poor
1980 Independent Commission
on Development Issues – Brandt
Commission
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Willi Brandt
Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs)
“Global North” and “Global
South”
North
Brandt Line
South
Philosophical roots of the concept
of “development”
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Development emerged as a key area of
government concern in the wake of the
Second World War
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Development meant ‘modernization’
Concepts rooted in European post-Enlightenment
thought that emphasized:
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Progress
Linear evolution
Convergence with Europe and North America
Ways of defining development
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As economic growth
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Development is the set of processes which
increase the value of a country’s economic
output (GNP, GDP)
Development involves “modernization” of
both technologies and social relations
Human welfare will improve as a
consequence of economic growth
Ways of defining development
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As meeting basic human needs
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Development is anything which increases
the number of people who can meet a
minimum standard of nutrition, housing,
health and education
Economic growth may or may not enhance
this process, and may even contradict it
Ways of defining development
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As empowerment
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Development means increasing people’s
abilities to govern their own lives and the
array of choices they can make
“Underdeveloped” countries are those
where individual rights and freedoms are
curtailed
Very hard to measure and to quantify
How can development be
measured?
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Economic indicators:
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GNP or GDP per capita
Poverty lines (e.g. dollar-a-day)
Purchasing Power Parity
GNP per capita globally – published by the World Bank in 2000
How can development be
measured?
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Social indicators
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Adult literacy rate, life expectancy, infant
mortality – as proxies
Basic-needs indicators
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Human Development Index
Human Poverty Index
How can development be
measured?

Social indicators
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Adult literacy rate, life expectancy, infant
mortality
Basic-needs indicators
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Human Development Index
Human Poverty Index
HDI measures circa 2003
GDP
10,000
8,000
HDI
Costa
Rica
Brazil
.850
.800
6,000
.750
4,000
Vietnam .700
2,000
South
Africa
Egypt
.650
.600
(UN Human Development Report 2005. http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/pdf/HDRO5_HDI.pdf)
2005 Human Development
Report
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10 Highest HDI Scores
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Norway
Iceland (+5)
Australia
Luxembourg (+11)
Canada (-1)
Sweden (-4)
Switzerland (+4)
Ireland (+2)
Belgium (-3)
USA (-2)
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10 Lowest HDIs
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Mozambique (+3)
Burundi (+4)
Ethiopia
Central African Republic
(-2)
Guinea Bissau
Chad (-6)
Burkina Faso
Sierra Leone (+1)
Niger (-1)
2005 Human Development
Report by Region
Africa
Seychelles 51
Libya 58
Mauritius 65
Burkina Faso 175
Sierra Leone 176
Niger 177
Asia
Japan 11
Hong Kong 22
Israel 23
Bangladesh 139
East Timor 140
Yemen 151
Europe
Norway 1
Iceland 2
Luxembourg 4
Albania 72
Ukraine 78
Moldova 115
North America
Canada 5
USA 10
Barbados 30
Honduras 116
Guatemala 117
Haiti 153
Oceania
Australia 3
New Zealand 19
Tonga 54
Vanuatu 118
Solomon Islands 128
Papau New Guinea 137
South America
Argentina 34
Chile 37
Uruguay 46
Paraguay 88
Guyana 107
Bolivia 113
How can development be
measured?
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Social indicators
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Adult literacy rate, life expectancy, infant
mortality – as proxies
Basic-needs indicators
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Human Development Index
Human Poverty Index
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HPI 1 and HPI 2
Human Poverty Index Scores
2004
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Barbados 2.5
Cuba 5
Colombia 8.1
Mexico 9.1
Germany 10.8
Brazil 11.8
Canada 12.2
Australia 12.9
China 13.2
United Kingdom 14.8
USA 15.8
Saudi Arabia 15.8
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Iran 16
Nicaragua 18.3
Ghana 26
South Africa 31.7
Papau New Guinea 37
Laos 40
Haiti 41
Bangladesh 42
Cote d’Ivoire 45
Malawi 46.8
Mozambique 49.8
Burkina Faso 65
How can development be
measured?
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Empowerment
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As project/intervention goal
How to measure at an aggregate level
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Political - Indicators of “Freedom”?
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Multiparty democracy?
Non-government-controlled press?
Human rights record?
A brief history of
‘development’
Considering both the ideas promoted
and the types of projects that were
introduced – and the political contexts
that influenced them
 Will look at legacies in more detail next
week
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A brief history of
‘development’
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1945 to circa 1965: Modernization
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Idea of development born in context of post war
reconstruction, decolonization and the Cold War
Assumption of primordial causes of poverty
Emphasis on economic and social ‘modernization’,
overcoming tradition
Economic growth as primary goal
Large scale projects
W . W. Rostow as key figure
Rostow’s Model of the Stages of Development
A brief history of
‘development’
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1945 – 1965
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Common terms:
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Developed/developing countries
Shortcomings
Social consequences and dislocation
 Environmental degradation
 Technology is not culturally neutral
 Ignored long term causes of inequality and
consequences of earlier capitalist development
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A brief history of
‘development’
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1965 – 1980: Underdevelopment
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Context of ongoing cold war, liberation
movements in the south and political
turmoil in the north
Reaction to some shortcomings of
modernization theories
Critical of growing poverty
Strongly influenced by Marxist theory
A brief history of
‘development’
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1965 – 1980: Underdevelopment
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Highlighted ahistorical models of modernization
thinkers to emphasize how poverty and inequality
had been created and were central to capitalism
and the global order
Key figures: Andre Gunder Frank, Walter Rodney
Common terms:
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Developed countries vs underdeveloped countries
First world/second world/third world
A brief history of
‘development’
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1965 – 1980: Underdevelopment
Shortcomings
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Tolerated authoritarian regimes that promoted
social spending and agendas
Sensitive to class differences but not to gender
Tendency to universal models ignored local
complexities and potentials
Rarely considered environmental consequences
Continued to favour large scale projects
A brief history of
‘development’
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1980 – Present: Pluralism (and Discord)
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Context of fiscal crises of 1970s, growth of
neoconservatism, end of the cold war,
environmental and feminist movements
For big financial agencies (IMF, World Bank)
neoliberal ideas dominate – concern with balance
of payments, international lending, enforcing fiscal
austerity
For big international agencies (UN, UNICEF)
primary concern for ‘development with a human
face’, highlighting social inequities and
consequences of neoliberalism
A brief history of development
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1980 – Present: Pluralism (and Discord)
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Dramatic growth of NGOs (nongovernmental organizations)
Growing emphasis on small scale projects
Common terms:
Developed and less developed countries
 High income/industrialized/G8 countries versus
low income countries
 North and south
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A brief history of
‘development’
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1980 – Present: Pluralism (and Discord)
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Calls for new models of development
Women in development (WID)
 Participatory development
 Sustainable development
 Appropriate technology
 Globalization concerns
 Postdevelopmentalism
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