How can development be defined? Who determines the definition? By which standards can we draw a line between the developed and developing? A lot of scholars define development in line with economic growth and modernization (Western) approaches without weighing enough importance on other factors such as history and culture. In fact, it is overwhelmingly difficult to come up with a ‘one size fits all’ definition because each country has unique characteristics in their own development paths.
It is true that economic growth can play a large part of betterment of a country, however, some other conditions need to be met in order to achieve overall well-being, e.g. social/political stability (both inside and outside a country), sustainable environment, personal/societal happiness, access to educational opportunities, rights to express, etc. An important fact is that these conditions cannot be built up at once because they evolve gradually overt time. Here, it is important to note that some indicators of development like GDP or HDI (Human Development Index) do not convey correct information. For example, even so-called developed countries like Norway have a high rate of suicide (which implies that their happiness level is not high) and GDP can be distorted to a large extent because it only takes physical measures into account such as numbers of bridges/roads. Thus, there is no such right answer for measuring development and we need to develop a holistic approach that encompasses all the above conditions for well-being.
All things considered, my definition of development is a process of having access to opportunities to enjoy the above mentioned conditions in a holistic approach. In this regard, my definition is quite similar to that of Paul Collier’s: development is about giving hope to ordinary people that their children will live in a society that has caught up with the rest of the world. Because the ultimate purpose of development is citizens’ well-being, future generations should not suffer from the miseries left by their parent generations. Development is not a result but a process of giving hope to ordinary citizens to be able to benefit from the opportunities for their well-being.
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