The State as the Means to Development

Abstract

Development theory and aid practice in the postwar framework emphasizes the instrumental role of the state in transforming society. One implication of this emphasis is that when a state fails, the postwar development framework fails as well. Resuscitating the state is one way to save this framework. The Good Governance strategy, adopted by the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) attempts such a rescue. As noted in the following paragraphs, there are several reasons why the importance of institutions was overlooked in the postwar period and reclaimed more recently. This chapter argues, moreover, that the current effort to revive the state through Good Governance is not itself sustainable since it calls for sound administrative practice without adequate attention to how one might craft their institutional underpinnings.