Issues in the Choice of Development Policies

Abstract

This chapter describes the development process and identifies the important elements of development decisions. Any development is unique: it is the creation of some product or process that did not exist before. Generalizations about a creative process are difficult to make, and discussions of efficiency in such projects lack precision and concreteness. It is possible, however, to create a model of the development process and to identify the important determinants of cost in such a process. Such a model helps to clarify the issues facing a developer by providing a basis for describing alternative development policies or strategies. It does not provide the basis for choosing one policy as dominant. There is no one right policy for all development efforts.