Limits and Contradictions of Postdevelopmentalism as a Heterodox Approach to Capitalist development

Abstract

In recent years, debates around development have seen the growing prominence of post-developmentalist proposals, which are driving the anticapitalist discourse and at the same time serving as a springboard for noncapitalist development proposals. However, the search for an alternative approach to development can disrupt the construction of viable action strategies and dilute important elements of the contributions advanced by the heterodox tradition, mainly Marxist. The aim of this paper is to systematize the limitations of post-developmentalism and articulate a heterodox paradigm that can be measured in tandem with conventional and hegemonic approaches in development studies, such as approaches stressing human development.