Development

Development

In its simplest form development means improvement or to becomemore advanced, more mature, more complete, more organized, more transformed etc. Todaro (1982) sees development as a “multi-dimensional process involving the reorganization and reorientation of the entire economic and social system”.

This involves in addition to improvement of income and output, radical changes in institutional, social and administrative structures as well as in popular attitudes, customs and belief. Todaro’s definition gives the meaning, which the concept of developments assumes whenever it is discussed in relation to countries.

Development at this level of conceptualisation is often understood in terms of economic developments but, the new focus is now beyond income or innate factors such as GNP or GDP to human focus in terms of quality of life. Ibezim (1999) further explains that,economic development does not only involve physical and financial progress but also improvements in the political and social aspects of society.

Development, both as a theoretical construct and a strategy for practice is largely a product of the last 65 years. Despite the argument of some writers, such as Cowen and Shenton (1996), that its origins lie in the century prior to 1945, the shaping of developments theory and practice, and its institutionalization, has been a recent phenomenon (Rist, 1997;

McMichael, 1996). Yet, although it emerged from the aftermath of the last great global conflict (Second World War), development has been pursued against the backdrop of a long catalogue of more or less continuous political and social conflicts throughout the world (Overton, 2000). Development was, and is, seen as a national, systemic and planned programme of intervention and improvement.

The concept of developmen cuts across many levels. It refers to macro issues (such as patterns of a nation’s growth), as much as it refers to meso problems or micro problems (such as local community developments) (Moti, 2010). Development should be understood as a process, not a product (Barbanti, 2004). Societies are always changing. Some improve, while others fail.

Development theory therefore aims at explaining both processes.In all one can conclude that developments in a nut shell is Government’s ability to improve the welfare of the citizenry by moving them from a state of less desirability to a state of higher desirability through deliberate, conscious and strategically focused designed and implementable programmes, and projects (Ibezim, 1999). Developmen cannot take place haphazardly. It must be planned.