Should we still believe in Development?
DEVELOPMENT – conceived by the Second World War victors as a grand strategy for bringing modernity to the ‘third world’ - has ground to a halt. Critics and proponents alike agree that nowadays it is undesirable and unrealistic to dream of the original development idea. Some scholars even signal the dawn of the ‘post-development’ era.
Tuesday, 8 April Toon van Eijk, author of “Development and Work Ethic in Sub-Saharan Africa”, will explore why development has failed in Sub-Saharan Africa. His analysis will borrow from controversial historical and psychological explanations as well as more than 20 years of development work experience in SSA. Van Eijk will argue that Africa is not ‘ready’ for development as it was originally intended. Should still believe in African development?