The History of Development, now in its fourth edition, is a classic development text, which has both defined and changed its field. 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, and the supposed triumph of third-worldism, through to new concerns about the environment and globalization. In a new chapter on post-development models and ecological dimensions, written against a background of world crisis and ideological disarray, Rist considers possible ways forward and 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 resulted only in widening market relations, whatever the intentions of its advocates.
Preface to the Fourth Edition Introduction 1. Definitions of Development 2. Metamorphoses of a Western Myth 3. The Making of a World System 4. The Invention of Development 5. The International Doctrine and Institutions Take Root 6. Modernization Poised between History and Prophecy 7. The Periphery and the Understanding of History 8. Self-Reliance: The Communal Past as a Model for the Future 9. The Triumph of Third Worldism 10. The Environment, or the New Nature of 'Development' 11. A Mixture of Realism and Fine Sentiments 12. The Postmodern Illusion: Globalization as a Simulacrum of 'Development' 13. The Fight against Poverty and the Millennium Development Goals 14. The Great Turnaround 15. Post-Development: Decroissance and the Changing Economic Paradigm Conclusion Bibliography Index