ABSTRACT
Decision-making in development is undertaken by various individuals, agents, bodies and organisations. Historically, this role most frequently fell to governments in defining and implementing policy and planning at a national level. However, the role of the state has altered substantially over time including through processes of economic globalisation. This chapter introduces a range of institutions within the arenas of state, market and civil society that now characterise the institutional landscape of development. It focuses on how the activities of these institutions are changing, particularly in relation to global challenges of economic regeneration and sustainable development, and how they are increasingly working together in new partnerships to promote development. The outcomes of these activities are the focus for Part III.
