Approaches to Development: A Critique *

Abstract

This paper provides a critical overview of development in the context of India and, by extension, in that of the Third World. The Third World, however, is not quite so homogeneous an entity as is often assumed, and some of the points made in the essay may not be specifically applicable to all the countries subsumed within that rubric. The general perspective nevertheless seems to hold.

The first part of the paper deals with the kinds of problem faced, the approaches to them, and the important differences with the Western experience of industrialization. This leads to a discussion of Gandhi's economic views as also to the related dimensions opened up by proponents of alternative technology. The second part concentrates on methodological and philosophical issues – essentially, the nature of the assumptions on which developmental thinking is based. As such, it constitutes the core of the analysis.