This article is in two parts. The first part reviews the evolving development theory of the last sixty years and deduces its implications for development aid. The observed changes in development thinking explain in no small measure the amazing shifts in and accumulations of, aid priorities. The second part moves from theory to practice by looking into the lessons that can be learned from a concrete development success story and reviewing the present situation of development aid, touching on several points made in Jan Ponkin’s article published in this journal recently.
