ABSTRACT
The field of international development, and its multiple subfields, began after World War II when the world was in an era of reconstruction and postwar governments in Europe and North America began to focus new efforts on the nations of Latin America, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa. The focus on supporting the so-called Third World nations was built on assumptions that ‘enlightened’ and economically developed nations could endogenously stimulate growth and development in postcolonial nations. The development agenda was funded by official overseas development assistance or aid (ODA) from powerful economies and furthered by the post-World War II scramble for influence as the United States (and its allies) and the Soviet Union sought to expand influence worldwide. This chapter provides an overview of how ODA came into existence in the world and its underlying assumptions.
