(Online Course) Public Administration for IAS Mains Exams
Topic: Development Dynamics: Development Dynamics: Antidevelopment Thesis
Anti-development literally means a model of development antagonized to the mainstream theories of development. It is concerned with developing alternative practices of development- participatory and people-centred and with redefining the goals of development. It is also true that mainstream development has gradually been moving away from the preoccupation with economic growth toward a people-centred definition of development, for instance in human development. This raises the important question, as in what way alternative development remains distinguishable from mainstream development in so far as a development style, a profile of alternative positions regarding development agency, methodology, and epistemology are concerned. Whatever, anti-development is now widely seen as representing an alternative paradigm.
The Development Debate
The entire development discourse could be seen as the debate between three broad schools of thoughts or three standpoints, viz., mainstream, reformist and radical:
1. The conventional development model: Comprising the principles of maximization of macroeconomic growth and trickle-down—has maintained its mainstream status for the last five decades. The mainstream standpoint is shared by early developmentalist, as well as by the advocates of the recent LPG policies.
2. The reformist standpoints: Adopts a moderate theoretical position arguing that certain aspects of the mainstream model, especially its neglect of environmental and equity concerns have hindered the development process.
3. The radical standpoints: Concludes that there are fundamental problems with the mainstream development model and the development practice that emerge from it.