Developmental thought is like fashion. Like clothing, it is trend-dependent. Attempting to keep step with mysterious deviations and confusing twists and turns in the policies of so-called “rich” countries towards “poor” countries canbe an exhausting process.It would appear that no-one is able to handle the multiplicity of donors or the abundance and complexity of the themes that make up a development policy any more.We have moved from the funding of investments and technical assistance to consideration of sectoral issues, then to macroeconomic reform, supplemented by cross-cutting themes such as issues relating to gender, environment, good governance and decent work. On a given day, production and the economic dimension of development are the flavour of the hour, only to be replaced the next by the human and social dimension, followed by a return to objectives for growth and investment.
