Webster’s dictionary lists evolution, growth, maturation, and spread all as synonyms for “development.” It is often also equated to modernization, westernization, technological advancement, and socioeconomic advancement, etc. As evident from the synonyms, “development” has many meanings that vary greatly depending on the context of which it is used. Development can be used to describe either a process, goal, or status that includes the use of technology, economic growth, the distribution of wealth, access to goods and services (clean water, health care, and education), human rights and political freedoms, consumption and production, socioeconomic changes, and stratification. Gunnar Myrdal’s definition is a broader and more inclusive of all the types of development but is ultimately defined by the “movement upward of the entire social system (2).” To elaborate, he writes that, “This social system encloses, besides the so-called economic factors, all noneconomic factors, including all sorts of consumption by various groups of people; consumption provided collectively; educational and health facilities and levels; the distribution of power in society; and more generally economic, social, and political stratification; broadly speaking, institutions and attitudes-to which we must add as an exogenous set of factors induced policy measures applied in order to change one or several of these endogenous factors (2-3).”
In economic development, sustainable development is another key issue. Economic policies and practices can create or dismantle boundaries that keep in mind the limits of natural resources (Phillips). Critics of capitalism often point out that capitalism is in conflict with environmental sustainability because it undermines efforts to protect the environment. They often point out that since capitalism relies on “continuous economic growth to sustain and increase prosperity,” it dismisses our planet’s finite resources (Phillips). Recent trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, are also of concern as people worry the trade agreement does little to protect the environment and local populations, as the TPP’s Investor-State Dispute Settlement gives multinational corporations the right to challenge governments over regulations if they believe the regulations negatively impact their profits. As a result, if a corporation believes that an environmental regulation negatively impacts their profits, they could side-step courts and laws (Warren). Moreover, if neoliberal laws allow developing countries and multinational corporations to stay in bed with and prop up authoritarian and oppressive regimes in developing countries, this can impact the livelihoods of populations within those states if corrupt politicians pocket profits made off of the extraction and commodification of resources and the money earned does not touch the soil of the state and isn’t invested in human capital.
In urban planning, development means not only the aesthetic revitalization of a neighborhood, but also the economic development of a neighborhood. In cities around the world, development has meant cycling capital into areas that have been previously neglected, which has often caused gentrification in these cities and further spatial and economic segregation that most adversely impact those who were already marginalized. Development is a powerful tool in in driving socioeconomic stratification further apart or in narrowing the gaps of inequality. It can be used create better living conditions or it can be used as a means to serve and further empower an elite group.
Since development is defined in different ways, it is also measured in different ways and consequentially, the variables that contribute to development are often hotly contested, as well as the steps needed to be taken in order to achieve successful development. For example, proponents of New Institutional Economics consider “inclusive” institutions and individual and economic rights to be the main drivers of development, as opposed to “extractive” institutions (Acemoglu and Robinson). On the other hand, others would argue that geography and natural resources play a much more vital role in development and would highlight the different levels of development in countries based upon their geography. A newer concept of development is sustainable development and takes into account not only economic development, but social and environmental factors as well. According to the United Nations Commission on Environment and Development, sustainable development “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (“What is Development?”).”
Works Cited
“What is Development?” World Bank. World Bank, 10 June 2010. Web. Nov. 2015.
Acemoglu, Daron., Robinson, James A. Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty. 1st ed. New York: Crown, 2012. Web.
Myrdal, Gunnar. “What Is Development?” Journal of Economic Issues 8.4 (1974): 729–736. Web.
Phillips, C. IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID: CAPITALISM, ENVIRONMENTAL LAW, AND THE NEED FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIES. National Lawyers Guild Review, 70(4), 230-247. Web. 27. Nov. 2015.
Warren, Elizabeth. “The Trans-Pacific Partnership Clause Everyone Should Oppose.” The Washington Post. 25 Feb. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
Jennifer Kim 