What Is Development?

The development of something is a process that creates growth and brings progress and change. The term is also used to refer to a new idea or project that is in the process of being created. Development can also be the conversion of land or property into a new use like housing or a shopping mall.

One of the most important aspects of development is economic growth, which leads to better living standards for the world’s population. Other important goals of development include education, health, and the environment. Poverty is a major obstacle to development and prevents people from achieving many of the other goals of development.

Many different professionals and researchers have developed a number of definitions and emphases on the concept of development. Nobel prize winner Amartya Sen, for example, developed an approach to development known as the “capability approach.” He defined development as a process of increasing people’s freedom to control their lives through economic, social and family action.

Another view of development is that it occurs on a continuum, and that each person experiences different developmental changes at different times. These variations are due to cultural differences in the expectations and opportunities that people have for making choices about their futures. This understanding of development differs from the work of Piaget and Erikson, who assumed that everyone moves through similar stages in roughly the same order. In addition, many scholars have worked to understand the role that culture plays in development.