Blackwell Reference Online

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Comment on this article   Economic development as a field of economics became prominent in the post–World War II period in connection with the prospects of what came to be called underdeveloped, decolonizing, developing, or Third World countries. Between the 1950s and 1980s a number of theories of economic development and various policy strategies emerged, and the growth of “development studies” reflected cross-disciplinary interest in the subject. Themes included the role of agriculture and industrialization in economic growth, rural–urban labor migration, employment creation, population dynamics, poverty alleviation, and “human capital” formation through education. In the early decades, women were not regarded as agents of or participants in development, but the 1970s saw the emergence of the field of women in development (WID). Since the 1990s, women's participation and gender dynamics have become a significant part of the discourse and policies of international development. In tandem with changes in theories and policies of economic development, the field of women in development has evolved, with distinct or overlapping fields known as women and development (WAD), gender and development (GAD), the efficiency approach, the empowerment approach, and mainstreaming gender equality. Over the decades, various WID or gender analysis policy frameworks have been used, such as the Harvard ... log in or subscribe to read full text