Concept of Development. Dominant Definitions and Their Historical Context

Essay in the subject Business economics - Miscellaneous, grade: 1, University of Agder, language: English, abstract: Contepoorary discussions about the concept of development motivates one to ask: What does the term mean? While no unambiguous answer to this question can be found, a reflected understanding is key to retrace the concept. The historical path the term traversed on is essential for this. Having led to different meanings of development over time, the essay’s aim is to contribute to an overarching understanding by showing dominant definitions embedded in their respective historical context and illustrating how this further contributed to the development of the term “development”. After a first description of the term’s ambivalence and roots, the essay highlights the shift of development approaches from economic ideas to agency-based strategies putting people into focus. Ultimately, it is shown how radical approaches complement this and what promising avenues future development holds.