Inertia and development models

Abstract

This essay is about inertia in relation to models of development1. Terminology first: I use the Encyclopedia Britannica (1985:306) definition of inertia, `property of body by virtue of which it opposes any agency that attempts to put it in motion or, if it is moving, to change the magnitude or direction of its velocity'. A `model of developmenf contains three components: (a) a concept of development defining the goal of the development process, that is, clarifying the notion of development itself; (b) a strategy of development, concerning the guidelines for action intended to move the process of development along; behind these two elements is a third, namely (c) a theory of development meaning a set of hypotheses regarding conditions, relationships and structures which are held to be important for the process of development. Furthermore, the `processes of development' to which I refer concern the level of societies even if there will be some references to specific groups and individuals. The distinction between the three dimensions of development models is purely analytical; they are closely interrelated: the formulation of a strategy requires theoretical considerations which must also include a notion of the goal, the concept of development.