The Pioneers Of Development Economics

A survey of the main influences on the development of modern development economics.

"It is a rare treat to read the reminiscences of [this] group of development economists....We can be grateful to the World Bank for bringing these intellectual giants together to present their retrospective views..."--Choice The pioneers in development economics--Lord Bauer, Colin Clark, Albert O. Hirschman, Sir Arthur Lewis, Gunnar Myrdal Raul Prebisch, Paul N. Rosenstein-Rodan, W.W. Rostow, H.W. Singer, and Jan Tinbergen--offer a retrospective view of the formative decade after World War II when they made their seminal contributions to the subject. In individual papers, the pioneers recapture the intellectual excitement, expectations, and activism of that period and provide rare autobiographical detail and insight into why they said what they did and what they now think about the state of development thought and policy. Commentary is provided by economists of the succeeding generation, who reappraise their ideas with the benefit of hindsight. General overviews of the subject have been written by Gerald M. Meier and Paul Streeten.

This book explores the history of economic development thought, with an emphasis on alternative approaches in macro development economics. Given that the pioneers of development economics in the 1940s and 1950s drew inspiration from classical political economists, this book opens with a review of key classical scholars who wrote about the progress of the wealth of nations. In reviewing the thinking of the pioneers and those that followed, both their theories of development and underdevelopment are discussed. Overall, the book charts the evolution of development economic thought from the early developmentalists and structuralists, through to the neo-Marxist approach and radical development theory, the neo-liberal counter revolution, and the debate between new developmentalists and neo-liberal scholars. It ends with an assessment of the state of the field today. This book will be of interest to all scholars and students interested in the evolution of development economics.

With contributions from 35 leading economists, this forward-looking book explores the future of development economics against the background of the past half-century of development thought and practice. Outstanding representatives of the past two generations of development economists assess development thinking at the turn of the century and look to the unsettled questions confronting the next generation.The volume offers a thorough analysis of the broad range of issues involved in development economics, and it is especially timely in its critique of what is needed in development theory and policy to reduce poverty. An overriding issue is whether in the future 'development economics' is to be regarded simply as applied economics or whether the nature and scope of development economics will constitute a need for a special development theory to supplement general economic theory.'Frontiers of Development Economics' is an ideal reference for all those working in the international development community.

A history of the emergence of development economics as a distinct sub-discipline.

'Ragnar Nurkse (1907-2007): Classical Development Economics and its Relevance for Today' presents a selection of papers that casts new insight on Nurkse's thought, and discusses his relevance for today.

This volume provides a critique of the post-Washington Concensus in neoliberal economics.