From theory to practice in development

As decolonisation movements gathered strength following World War II, independence and development were seen to go hand-in-hand and thanks partly to President Truman’s 20 January 1949 Inaugural Address linking the fight against communism with development assistance, aid and expertise from the West have been a driving force in development programs. Moreover, development economics and development practices have operated in tandem structuralist and Dependency theory ideas outlined in the excerpt by Paul Sweezy in this book were influential in the early postwar period on the practices of developing countries. Donors, though, were more influenced in this period by the Keynesian/neoclassical synthesis emphasising infrastructure and area development programs.