The World Development Report II: continuity and change in development orthodoxies

In the second of two review papers on the World Bank’s series of World Development Reports (WDRs; 1978 to 2000/2001) we track some key themes and issues: North and South; state, market and civil society; and people, participation and values. Identifying clear trajectories in the series is made difficult by their characteristically mixed, and sometimes contradictory, messages. However, over time we identify a gradual weakening in the view that development is a global responsibility, with increasing emphasis placed on the choices (and shortcomings) of national governments. This is particularly evident in their very partial assessments of global regulatory institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization. In relation to the emergence of the post-Washington consensus, we note that the WDRs have always paid some attention to institutions and the role of the state -although before the late 1990s this position was much less evident in other World Bank publications and indeed policy. Finally, we suggest that the substantial shift towards more participa-tory language and approaches, while welcome, is still underpinned by utilitarian values, in which a depoliticized version of ‘empowerment’ is valued primarily for its contribution to the main goal of economic growth.