The United Nations and Seven Decades of Development

The United Nations and Seven Decades of Development

This article highlights the intellectual influence of the UN through its flagship publication, World Economic and Social Survey, first published in 1948, as World Economic Report, and three pioneering reports published between 1949 and 1951. It will also reflect on the changing role of the UN in set...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Development (Society for International Development) 2021-06, Vol.64 (1-2), p.129-148
Main Author: Chowdhury, Anis
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Developing countries
Development and Social Change
Development Economics
Development Policy
Development Studies
Economic development
Employment
Financial institutions
LDCs
Leadership
Liberalism
Neoliberalism
Social progress
Social Sciences
Sustainable development
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Summary:This article highlights the intellectual influence of the UN through its flagship publication, World Economic and Social Survey, first published in 1948, as World Economic Report, and three pioneering reports published between 1949 and 1951. It will also reflect on the changing role of the UN in setting development agenda—from a leader to a minor player—and attempts to recapture its lost glory. It argues that despite UN’s ‘ahead of the curve’ and enduring analytical contributions, there have been conscious and concerted efforts by interested parties to undermine the UN. Its leading economists came under attack during the infamous McCarthy witch-hunts era; and it has been working on a shoestring budget, while the powerful countries diverting their fundings to ideologically driven international financial institutions, especially since the early 1980s with the triumph of neo-liberalism. Despite the UN being able to claw-back its leading role in agenda setting since the 1990s, its independent analytical work is now threatened again as severely budget-constrained UN seeks partnership with the corporate sector.
ISSN:1011-6370
1461-7072