Development

Development Delusions ← Series Home A Sketch of the Development Industry and Its Self-Perpetuating Structure The global machinery dedicated to international development cooperation, often affectionately termed the “development community” to give it a “cuddly glow,” is more accurately described as a massive, complex, and little understood industry. This classification is not merely semantic; David Sims asserts that understanding the foreign aid ecosystem requires recognizing it as a business enterprise defined by quantifiable financial flows, a vast workforce, fierce competition for funds, and an overriding obsession with self-perpetuation. ...

Development Delusions ← Series Home A 10-Part Series Examining the Global Development Sector Through the 50-Year Lens of David Sims The foreign aid industry, frequently referred to as the “development community” to impart a “cuddly glow”, is a complex global behemoth that warrants comprehensive investigation. This 10-part series draws upon the critical insights presented by economist and urban development specialist David Sims in his book, Development Delusions and Contradictions: An Anatomy of the Foreign Aid Industry. Sims’ analysis, forged over 50 years of direct professional experience in the field, aims to expose the entrenched contradictions and systemic pathologies that render international development cooperation profoundly ineffective, and often, actively counterproductive. ...

Reflections on Development 1 Reflections on Development - Part 1: What 'Development' Truly Means 2 Reflections on Development - Part 2: Beyond GDP - Measuring Material Progress and Well-being 3 Reflections on Development - Part 3: The Human Element - Investing in the 'Creativity of the Poor' 4 Reflections on Development - Part 4: The Cultural Context - Institutions, Values, and Sustainable Change 5 Reflections on Development - Part 5: The Synthesis - Turning Reflections into Collective Action ← Series Home Key Takeaways Holistic Vision: You cannot fix the economy without fixing culture; you cannot empower the poor without giving them technology—everything is connected. For Individuals: Be a conscious consumer—value local products and recognize the “cultural code” in what you buy. For Professionals: Design for reality—use modern knowledge to upgrade the local reality of farmers and craftsmen. For Policymakers: Invest in “Know-Why,” not just “Know-How”—build a National System of Innovation focused on local challenges. The Green Opportunity: Leapfrog dirty industrialization by utilizing renewable biological resources and solar energy. We have traveled a long road in this series. We started by rethinking the very definition of development (Part 1), challenged the way we measure economic success (Part 2), recognized the untapped potential of the poor (Part 3), and acknowledged the vital role of our cultural code (Part 4). But as Dr. Hamed El-Mously reminds us, “Reflections” are useless if they remain trapped in a book. The ultimate goal is Synthesis—bringing these disparate ideas together to fuel a movement of change. ...

Reflections on Development 1 Reflections on Development - Part 1: What 'Development' Truly Means 2 Reflections on Development - Part 2: Beyond GDP - Measuring Material Progress and Well-being 3 Reflections on Development - Part 3: The Human Element - Investing in the 'Creativity of the Poor' 4 Reflections on Development - Part 4: The Cultural Context - Institutions, Values, and Sustainable Change 5 Reflections on Development - Part 5: The Synthesis - Turning Reflections into Collective Action ← Series Home Key Takeaways The Cultural Code: Just as DNA dictates biological growth, culture dictates how a society functions—imported solutions often carry incompatible “codes.” Tradition as Resource: Traditional knowledge is a reservoir of wisdom that has survived centuries because it works. Weaving, Not Assembling: Development should intertwine new threads with old ones to create continuous fabric, not replace the old carpet with plastic. Institutional Harmony: Institutions must reflect community values like solidarity, resourcefulness, and respect for nature. The Dual Society Problem: Modern institutions often disconnect from informal street-level reality, creating dysfunction. We have built the philosophy, the economic engine, and the human workforce. But why do so many development projects in the Arab world still fail? Why do “modern” systems often collapse or become corrupt when applied to our reality? In this fourth step, Dr. Hamed El-Mously points to the missing link: The Cultural Context. He argues that you cannot simply “copy-paste” a Western institution (like a specific management style or a legal framework) into a developing society and expect it to work. ...

Reflections on Development 1 Reflections on Development - Part 1: What 'Development' Truly Means 2 Reflections on Development - Part 2: Beyond GDP - Measuring Material Progress and Well-being 3 Reflections on Development - Part 3: The Human Element - Investing in the 'Creativity of the Poor' 4 Reflections on Development - Part 4: The Cultural Context - Institutions, Values, and Sustainable Change 5 Reflections on Development - Part 5: The Synthesis - Turning Reflections into Collective Action ← Series Home Key Takeaways The Poor as Solution: Marginalized communities display incredible ingenuity to survive—they are not a burden but an untapped resource. Innovation for the Poor: True human development means empowering natural creativity, not giving handouts. Education Disconnect: Current education often prepares students for jobs that don’t exist while devaluing practical, hands-on work. Contextual Education: Teaching should focus on local technology, local resources, and solving local problems. Bridging the Divide: We need engineers and scientists who work alongside craftsmen and farmers, merging modern science with traditional wisdom. We have looked at the philosophy and the economy. Now, we arrive at the most critical asset any nation possesses: Its People. In many conventional development models, the poor are often viewed as a “burden”—a statistic that needs to be managed, fed, or subsidized. Dr. Hamed El-Mously radically challenges this view in Reflections on Development. He argues that the poor are not the problem; they are the solution. ...

Reflections on Development 1 Reflections on Development - Part 1: What 'Development' Truly Means 2 Reflections on Development - Part 2: Beyond GDP - Measuring Material Progress and Well-being 3 Reflections on Development - Part 3: The Human Element - Investing in the 'Creativity of the Poor' 4 Reflections on Development - Part 4: The Cultural Context - Institutions, Values, and Sustainable Change 5 Reflections on Development - Part 5: The Synthesis - Turning Reflections into Collective Action ← Series Home Key Takeaways The Consumption Trap: A nation might appear “developed” because its citizens use modern technology, but if it can’t produce these tools, it’s merely a wealthy consumer. Technology Transfer Illusion: Buying a factory without the underlying knowledge makes it just a “metal box” we don’t truly own. Green Industrial Revolution: Shift from heavy, imported industry toward renewable local resources. Rural Industrialization: Build small-scale, high-tech industries in rural areas processing local materials. From Scarcity to Abundance: Stop feeling “poor” for lacking Western machinery; recognize the untapped richness in local resources. In our previous post, we discussed the need to redefine what “development” means philosophically. Now, we move to the hard numbers: The Economy. When we talk about a country’s success, we almost always point to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). If the number goes up, we celebrate. But Dr. Hamed El-Mously argues that for developing nations, this metric can be a dangerous mask. It often hides a reality of deep dependency rather than true strength. ...

Reflections on Development 1 Reflections on Development - Part 1: What 'Development' Truly Means 2 Reflections on Development - Part 2: Beyond GDP - Measuring Material Progress and Well-being 3 Reflections on Development - Part 3: The Human Element - Investing in the 'Creativity of the Poor' 4 Reflections on Development - Part 4: The Cultural Context - Institutions, Values, and Sustainable Change 5 Reflections on Development - Part 5: The Synthesis - Turning Reflections into Collective Action ← Series Home Key Takeaways The “Confused Present”: Many developing societies are racing toward the future without a clear destination, trapped in consumption rather than production. Technology Transfer Illusion: Buying a factory doesn’t mean acquiring technology—technology is the knowledge and capability to design, build, and adapt. Cultural Code: Development cannot be air-dropped onto a society; it must be compatible with its values, history, and social fabric. Endogenous Development: Growth that comes from within, valuing traditional knowledge and local resources. Core Question Shift: Move from “How can we buy what they have?” to “How can we solve our problems using what we have?” In a world obsessed with GDP figures, skyscrapers, and the latest tech trends, it is easy to mistake “modernization” for “development.” We often look at developed nations and think the path forward is simply to copy their output—to buy their machines, adopt their lifestyle, and import their systems. ...