Rethinking Development

The term ‘development’ has come a long way since its inception.  In the period following World War II, ‘development’ became significant both as an enterprise and a scholarly discipline.  The notion of development emerged amidst the need of reconstructing Europe which was shattered by the war. Institutionalarrangements were made to expedite the development process. The establishment  of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) was a  stepping stone to this effect. More importantly, theorizing about special challenges facing backward regions and countries became dominant in the discourse of development.  Moreover, equating development with industrialization was rampant in the initial stage. The social and human dimensions of development were largely missing.  The ultimate goal was to raise income and give access to a range of goods and services to the people. It was about getting more prosperous, and prosperity was measured in dollars.

The wave of decolonization which gained momentum in the wake of the war also pushed forward the agenda of development via industrialization. The newly independent states of Africa, Latin America and Europe began to pursue development as a need to improve the lives of their citizens. Maintaining their newly acquired independent status also required them to economically self-sustain. Thus, it was natural for the emphasis being laid on economic dimension of development.

Against this backdrop, defining the development needs of the third world countries became a prerogative of the Western world. The industrialized West tried to impose their development model in  the third world countries. For instance, in the name of structural adjustment policies, these underdeveloped countries were required to comply by the rule of the market economy i.e. less state, more market intervention. To receive the foreign aid and grant, it became mandatory for these countries to pursue the market based development model.  Consequently, this prescription failed to cater the unique development aspirations of the third world. This is to say the third world still fails to invent their  own model of development. What type of development intervention is needed in this part of the world? What are the peculiar development aspirations? Are they exactly same as  the west or are they unique? If our needs are unique, then can a single approach cater them? These are some of the critical questions that we need to ponder over before initiating any development activities in our country.

The neo-colonization in the form of foreign assistance has severe repercussions on our development initiatives. The conditionality of such foreign aid is hazardous to the sustainable development of a third world country. On one hand, it has stifled local development efforts. On the other, the vested interests of the donors have been catered at the cost of  national sovereignty and integrity.

At this juncture, it is crucial to critique development. There can be no universal model of development and development cannot be uni-dimensional. Economic prosperity cannot be a sole determinant. Socio-cultural and value based dimensions are inextricably tied to the notion of the holistic development. Improving social relations, demonstrating ethically responsible development behaviours among others are of no less prominence. Particularly the third world countries need some audacity on their part to pursue a new course of development that best serves their interest. Replicating the West Centric model of development may have helped to bring foreign aid and grant, but it has distorted the local development initiations in these countries.

Development based on locally available resources is necessary because it will ensure sustainability. The use of labor skills and equipments that are available in our own community assumes greater prominence to achieve sustainable development. The traditional knowledge that we have needs to be integrated with the modern education, thereby aiming at a result that will help not only the present generation but also the future generation to satisfy their own needs. Likewise, this model of development will help us to carve the trajectory of our nation’s long term growth based on our own original knowledge and research. Rather than depending on other bilateral and multilateral organizations to initiate community based projects, if we can start on our own,this will become effective.

It is high time that development be redefined in our own context. Gradually inclining towards reducing the dependency on the Western world needs to be seriously contemplated. Based on the locally available resources, the path to socio-economic transformation can be carved. It is imperative that the policy makers in the third world countries think about envisioning a development aiming at  the best utilization of the resources- both human and non-human that are at their  disposal. Encouraging local industries and acknowledging the labor that people are putting into can be a major departure to accelerate economic development. In the same way, developing strategies to improve the quality of education and health by revamping the current institutional practice, thereby reducing the donor-led reforms assume great significance. Ensuring the meaningful participation of local communities in the decision making process of the local institutions is indispensable to accelerate development. Likewise, thinking development beyond monetary terms should be practiced.

By

Kushal Pokharel

Nepal