UN Contributions to Development Thinking and Practice

Abstract

One of the titles in a projected 14-volume series sponsored by the United Nations Intellectual History Project (see also Michael Ward's book in this series, Quantifying the World: UN Ideas and Statistics, CH, Oct'04), this institutional history of the UN is surprisingly readable. The product of four authors' collaboration, it tells an interesting story of UN work in development theory and practice. After a brief review of development literature, the authors break down the UN experience into five major periods. The 1940s and 1950s were foundational, with the work of Raul Prebisch and many others promulgated under UN auspices. The 1960s were the decade of development, first declared by John F. Kennedy in 1961. The 1970s saw a focus on equity in development, and the 1980s saw UN agencies being eclipsed by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. By the 1990s, the UN Development Program restored a focus on human development that had been lost earlier. Concluding with a review of UN development ideas, the authors describe successes but do not hesitate to point out failures. Well organized and well written, this book will be essential reading in international organization or economic development courses. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Public, academic, upper-division undergraduate and up, and professional library collections.

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