History of Development Economics

In: The Pakistan development review: PDR, Volume 32, Issue 4II, p. 631-638

Abstract

There are many ways we could approach the history of
development economics. We could tell a story of theories replacing and
supplementing each other, finishing with the current body of knowledge.
Alternatively we could explore the relationship between the evolution of
theory and the development experience. Another way of telling the story
would be to put the evolution of theory in a wider social, political and
philosophical context and explore the interactions. This historical
outline will be mainly restricted to the first and simplest method but
at certain points where insights from the other two methods can be
gained they will be used. Searching for the roots of development
economics is also problematic. One possible beginning for this
historical outline would be the beginnings of peoples reflections on the
evolution of societies, perhaps to the reflections embodied in early
mythology. A less extreme approach would begin with the first systematic
reflections on the material progress of societies. Moving closer to the
approach of most histories of development economics we could begin with
systematic reflections on the first industrial revolutions in Europe or
finally we could begin after World War II when this sort of enquiry was
applied to Asia, Africa and Latin America and began to be called
development economics. The beginning chosen depends on the purpose of
the history, and here because the focus is on the academic discipline of
development economics the story will begin after WWII.