Developmentalist Theory

Developmentalist theory is a theory of Economic development which was presented after the WWII with the “Marshallian Plan”. Marshallian plan was reconstructing and creating a strong economic foundation for Western countries of Europe.

What is developmentalism?
Developmentalitism is an economic theory which states that the best way for third world countries to develop through strong internal market and high imposing tariff on imports.
The theory is based on the assumption that not only are there similar stages to development for all countries but also that there is a linear movement from one stage to another that goes from traditional or primitive to modern or industrialized
Main Principles of Developmentalism
Developmentalism is based on

It is applicable to all nations of the world thus it is claimed to be discussed on an international level. It’s sole purpose is economic development, which after all, is what all economies are striving for. It aims to redesign and expand Third World development through menas of developed world. The theory is applicable to all without obstacle associated with disparities between nations.
The example of Botswana
Botswana was once an extremely poor nation at independence but through practice of developmentalism, is now a middle income country.
It was landlocked, surrounded by hostile neighbours but also resource rich which aided the development process. At independence in 1966, Botswana was rated among the poorest states in the world with a per capita GDP of only US$283. Between 1966 and 1999, Botswana had the highest rate of economic growth in the world and way ahead of rest of Africa. The country has enjoyed peace, stability and independence since its founding. Botswana has so far been successful in utilizing the financial capital from mining to drive and sustain economic growth and development.
The example of Thailand
Thailand became an upper middle income economy in 2011. Over the last four decades, Thailand has made remarkable progress in social and economic development, moving from a low-income country to an upper-income country in less than a

It also lacks coherence and the academic community itself. The school of thought also attempted to create a universal system, which in theory, is not efficient when addressing real world problems and providing real pictures.
Criticism
Developmentalism is a school of thought that based on “neo-colonialism” belief, which allows established economies or nations to colonize those nations that are backward or underdeveloped. This has been witnessed throughout history that such dominance over the weak is never stable and always wreaks havoc and conflict among nations.
It also implies Western supremacy over underdeveloped nations, which is not morally and ethically correct as all human beings have equal rights and no nation must be claimed superior to another.
It also preaches that “It is okay to exploit the weak for personal benefit”. The concept of “disaster capitalism” is relevant in this aspect, which allows great nations like America to exploit economic crises for their own purposes and causing impairment to weaker economies like Argentina