Non-economic factors in development

Abstract

The central theme of the paper is to distil major lessons from the development experience of the last fifty years and to give them a creative expression in a redesigned strategy in the 21st Century. The concept of development, as put in practice in many developing countries, was flawed. It was èlitist, technocratic, almost mono-dimensional rather than humanistic, grassroots, and institutional. Changes in attitudes, values, and institutions lie at the heart transformation of societies. Social change is a precondition of sustainable development. Past economic history provides no credible evidence of a take-off in late industrialising countries without authentic land reforms and universal primary education encompassing the female population. In the new Millennium, good governance has emerged as a crucial challenge facing the developing countries. Good governance is not possible without the rule of law underpinned by viable institutions.