development....hellllp?

Question

“Development is primarily a political process about the transformation of social identities and a society’s moral economy. To treat it as a series of technical problems relating to the engineering of economic growth provokes disorder, conflict and violence.” Discuss.

Answer 1

Lovely quote. Where did it come from?

And it is spot on.

Development, in its very nature, causes massive upheavals of the social fabric. How those upheavals are dealt with is indeed a moral question as well as a political one. Among the issues are what rights do people have in the face of changing situations, who gets to benefit from the development, etc.

For some classic case histories, look at development in England which included the Enclosure Acts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclosure

and sweatshops:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweatshop

There is also the issue of the rule of law.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robber_baron_(industrialist)

For a more partisan view, take a look at:
http://www.thememorybank.co.uk/2007/04/03/the-hit-mans-dilemma/

Answer 2

Development within some cultures can provoke disorder, conflict and violence because development in advanced culture goes with equality, justice and freedom.
I agree with the idea about development being a political process but I find difficult to admit that moral is concerned. Moral is concerned when the transformations occur too quickly and that´s not the case in Europe. Development need some steps and conciousness to avoid conflict and violence.