Developmentalism

Developmentalism is an approach to national economic development that emphasizes the intervention of the state. Current applications of developmentalism stem largely from post‐World War II aid projects inspired by modernization theories and targeting the “underdevelopment” of newly decolonized states. Developmentalism has been applied to long‐term development planning in developmental states such as South Korea and Singapore. Developmentalism has been criticized for having a linear view of progress and for neglecting deeply rooted power inequities in the world system that are the root of underdevelopment and dependency.