Ajit Rai

A Preliminary Inquiry into Theories of Development Ajit Rai

This book deals with major theories of development that account for economic backwardness from different theoretical perspectives. Since it is the product of the preliminary inquiry into theories of development, it is intended for both those who are just starting acquiring insights into theories of development and those who have already acquired a clearer and fuller understanding of these theories but are interested in all the possible ways in which these theories can be criticized. The broad topics dealt with in this book encompass political economy, its origin and evolution, its demise, the birth of economics or neoclassical economics in the 1870s, classical economics, critique of classical economics, neoclassical economics, critique of neoclassical economics, modernization theory, critique of modernization theory, dependency theory, critique of dependency theory, world system theory, the semantic evolution of sustainable development, the assumptions underlying sustainable development, critique of sustainable development, human development, two schools of thought that contributed to the development of human development paradigm, criticism of criticism of growth school of economic thought, mainstream development, alternative development, and post-development. The book contains an analytic substance. It offers the original analysis of the origin of political economy, the approach to defining political economy, part of critique of neoclassical economics, critique of sustainable development, and critique of growth school of economic thought. It is this analytic substance that sets this book apart from many other books dealing with theories of development.