Economic Development as a Concept: Fissiparity Rather than Teleology? Introduction

Alice Sindzingre

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Abstract: The word 'development' inherently conveys teleological connotations -a progression from an 'unachieved' state of affairs towards a desirable one ('being developed'). It is argued that, paradoxically, this concept, its meanings (its epistemology), and its uses (in empirical reality) do not display an evolutionary path where phenomena converge towards a dynamic ('development'), or where its successive paradigms exhibit path-dependency (an improved adequation to reality). Instead, the concept is subject to fissiparity and dilution as it is used by numerous disciplines, and as it has been shaped more by 'external' geopolitical events than by reflections on its epistemological validity, and by institutions that do not prioritise the advancement of knowledge. Furthermore, the object of economic 'development' has dissolved, with groups of countries fluctuating over time. the concept hence exhibits fissiparous dynamics more than teleological connotations and is not driven by the quest for an improved fit of its meanings to reality.

Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa; epistemology of economics; Economic development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-12-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hpe and nep-pke
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Published in Forum for Social Economics, 2025, pp.1-23. ⟨10.1080/07360932.2025.2595258⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05571516

DOI: 10.1080/07360932.2025.2595258

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