ABSTRACT
Development, it is often observed, rarely seems to ‘work’ — or at least with the consequences intended or the outcomes predicted. Why then, if it is so unworkable, does it not only persist but also seem continuously to be expanding its reach and scope (Crush 1995: 4)? Clearly, the inference to be taken from this paradox is that reality is under-determined by theory. Previous approaches to this impasse have been to deconstruct or refine existing theories of development, often at the expense of metatheory (Schuurman 1993: 1). But our view is that the reality of development outcomes cannot be explained by theory because the epistemological orientation of existing theories is wrong.
