This interesting piece by NYU economist William Easterly calls bs on the “Ideology of Development” – the notion that all nations can become “developed” by instituting reforms orchestrated by elite technicians and experts from the IMF-World Bank-UN axis.

Easterly points out that 1) the countries that have most closely followed the advice of the experts have the worst track record in developing economically and 2) the countries that have done the best have frequently ignored that same advice. His essential point is that there are many paths to development and, since societies differ in many ways, letting them chart their own course is vastly preferable to the imposition of a one-size-fits-all technical fix.

He also contends that this Developmentalist ideology is frequently seen as a kind of neo-colonialism which gives rise to backlash in the form of illiberal leftist and populist movements. When the development schemes fail people not unreasonably blame the outsiders and self-appointed experts who have taken it upon themselves to run other people’s countries.

(via The American Scene)