Development management in the developing world: past pathways and future trajectories

Development continues to elude many nations across the world. Even the so-called developed countries have yet to reach the ideal destination since they have to contend with pockets of poverty, inequality and other symptoms of underdevelopment. In relative terms, however, the pangs of poverty and underdevelopment are not only more overwhelming in the developing world but also present a desperate situation in need of urgent solution. The significance of this point is further highlighted in the widespread even if mistaken assumption that only developing countries qualify as ideal candidates for development prescriptions or interventions proffered by multinationals and development experts, at least in the last several decades. Following World War II, there have been increasing and varied attempts by various countries, mostly the so-called developing or third-world countries, to ensure improved socio-economic development (Turner, Hulme and McCourt, 2015). Despite these attempts, few success stories have been reported, implying that many countries continue to grapple with finding the right formula or panacea to the hydra-headed problems of poverty, social exclusion, food insecurity, macroeconomic instability, inequality and unemployment, among other issues, that make life extremely difficult in the developing world.