The History of Development: From Western Origins to Global Faith (Development Essentials)

This book provides a complete and powerful overview of what the idea of development has meant. Rist traces it from its origins in the Western view of history, through the early stages of the world system, the rise of U.S. hegemony, the supposed triumph of the third world, through to new concerns about the environment and globalization. In two completely new chapters on the Millennium Development Goals and post-development thinking, Rist brings the book completely up to date. Throughout, he argues that development has been no more than a collective delusion, which in reality has only resulted in widening market relations. In This History Of The Concept Of Development, Gilbert Rist Argues That The Traditional View Of Economic Growth Being The Answer To Unemployment, International Debt And The Quest For Global Prosperity, Has Clearly Failed And Needs Replaced. Preface To The Third Editionintroductionchapter 1 -- Definitions Of Developmentchapter 2 -- Metamorphoses Of A Western Mythchapter 3 -- The Making Of A World Systemchapter 4 -- The Invention Of Developmentchapter 5 -- The International Doctrine And Institutions Take Rootchapter 6 -- Modernization Poised Between History And Prophecychapter 7 -- The Periphery And The Understanding Of Historychapter 8 -- Self-reliance: The Communal Past As A Model For The Futurechapter 9 -- The Triumph Of Third Worldismchapter 10 -- The Environment, Or The New Nature Of 'development' Chapter 11 -- A Mixture Of Realism And Fine Sentimentschapter 12 -- The Postmodern Illusion: Globalization As A Simulacrum Of 'development'chapter 13 -- The Fight Against Poverty And The Millennium Development Goalschapter 14 -- Post-development: Decroissance And The Changing Economic Paradigm Conclusionbibliographyindex. Gilbert Rist; Translated By Patrick Camiller. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 265-276) And Index. In "The History of Development" Gilbert Rist provides a complete and powerful overview of what the idea of development has meant throughout history. He traces it from its origins in the Western view of history, through the early stages of the world system, the rise of US hegemony, the supposed triumph of the third world, through to new concerns about the environment and globalization. In two completely new chapters on the Millennium Development Goals and post-development thinking, Rist brings the book completely up to date. Throughout, he argues persuasively that development has been no more than a collective delusion, which in reality has only resulted in widening market relations, despite the good intentions of its advocates. Lucidly and powerfully written, this new edition is more essential than ever for students and practitioners of development