The emergence of development studies as an academic discipline in the second half of the twentieth century is largely due to growing concern about the economic prospects of the
third world after
decolonization. In the immediate post-war period,
development economics, a branch of
economics, arose from earlier studies in colonial economics. By the 1960s, an increasing number of development economists felt that economics alone could not fully address issues such as political effectiveness and educational provision. Development studies arose as a result of this, initially aiming to integrate ideas of
politics and economics. Since then, it has become an increasingly inter- and multi-disciplinary subject, encompassing
a variety of social scientific fields. In recent years the use of political economy analysis- the application of the analytical techniques of economics- to try and assess and explain political and social factors that either enhance or limit development has become increasingly widespread as a way of explaining the success or failure of reform processes. The era of modern development is commonly deemed to have commenced with the
inauguration speech of
Harry S. Truman in 1949. In Point Four of his speech, with reference to Latin America and other poor nations, he said: More than half the people of the world are living in conditions approaching misery. Their food is inadequate. They are victims of disease. Their economic life is primitive and stagnant. Their poverty is a handicap and a threat both to them and to more prosperous areas. For the first time in history, humanity possesses the knowledge and the skill to relieve the suffering of these people. But development studies have also since taken an interest in the lessons from past development experiences in Western countries. More recently, the emergence of
human security – a new, people-oriented approach to understanding and addressing
global security threats – has led to a growing recognition of a relationship between security and development. Human security argues that inequalities and insecurity in one state or region have consequences for global security and that it is thus in the interest of all states to address underlying development issues. This relationship with studies of human security is but one example of the interdisciplinary nature of development studies. Global Research cooperation between researchers from countries in the
Global North and the Global South, so called
North-south research partnerships, allow development studies to consider more diverse perspectives on development studies and other strongly
value driven issues. Thus, it can contribute new findings to the field of research. ==See also==