Choose one of the following topics, and write a 3,000–4,000 word research essay addressing that topic.
1. “The history of development theory demonstrates that ‘from the start, development’s hidden agenda was nothing else than the Westernisation of the world’ (W. Sachs)”. Discuss.
2. Critically evaluate the contributions made by the ‘dependency school’ to development theory.
3. Critically evaluate the contributions made by ‘modernisation theory’ to development theory.
4. Critically assess the impact of ‘Third-Worldism’ on development theory.
5. “The concept of ‘self-reliance’ was a dead-end for development theory, and its history has nothing to teach us”. Discuss.
6. Critically assess the impact of ‘the Washington Consensus’ on development theory.
7. Is GNP growth an adequate measure of development? Discuss with reference to either human development or sustainable development.