Whose Development? Orthodoxy, Technocracy, and Political Choice in the Postcolonial Political Economy of the Global South

This paper interrogates the enduring authority of development orthodoxies and the rise of technocratic governance in the Global South by posing a fundamental political economy question: whose development do these paradigms ultimately serve? Anchored in a dual-theoretical framework that combines postcolonial political economy and structural political economy, and employing a qualitative comparative approach, the study argues that development trajectories in postcolonial states are not the outcome of neutral technical necessities but the product of historically constituted power relations and political choices. The analysis situates contemporary policy regimes within the longer history of colonial and postcolonial integration into global capitalism, demonstrating how technocracy has functioned to depoliticize distributive conflicts, narrow policy space, and stabilize elite coalitions. Using thematic comparative illustrations from Nigeria, Brazil, and India, the paper shows that variations in development outcomes are better explained by differences in state capacity, political settlements, and policy autonomy than by adherence to any single development orthodoxy. The paper concludes by calling for a re-politicization of development discourse and practice in the Global South and for a renewed understanding of development as a contested political project rather than a merely technical exercise.