Understanding the Concept of Development
The study of development, also known as human development or lifespan development, is the scientific examination of ways in which we change and remain the same from birth to death. It explores the many facets of change in our physical and neurophysiological structures, cognition, language, emotions, personality, and morality as well as how these changes are affected by relationships with others.
The concept of development encompasses all types of social change, including the evolution of a new idea or product; a society’s economic progress, measured by such indicators as gross domestic product (GDP); the growth of a business; an individual’s educational, occupational, or health status; and even a nation’s rank on the United Nations’ Development Index, which takes into account factors beyond GNI per capita. But it is the development of people’s capabilities, choices, and freedoms that is usually meant when the word development is used to describe good change.
Mechanistic meta-theories of development use the machine as a metaphor, treating people as if they were made up of pieces that can be studied apart from each other and that are passive, with energy coming in from outside (like gasoline for a car). These theories assume that all causes of development are externally driven and that humans do not develop into something else—they always stay the same (like a caterpillar stays a caterpillar).
The more complex and people-centered perspective is that everyone has “a right to participate in and contribute to the economic, social, cultural, and political development of his or her nation” and that this development should be achieved in a way that maximizes participation, minimizes obstacles, ensures good governance at both national and international levels, and enhances accountability of duty bearers.