ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns a series of controversies that surround the concepts of ‘capitalism’, ‘globalisation’, and ‘imperialism’ in development discourse—controversies as to what they have to do with the idea of ‘development’: whether or how these concepts can serve as descriptors of the dynamics associated with this idea. The chapter argues that in the mainstream of development studies a limited focus on institutional and policy issues leads to an absence of any discussion or mention, let alone an understanding, of the systemic and globalising dynamics of capitalism. Thus, capitalist development becomes development, and the crucially important role played by imperialism in the capitalist development process is entirely ignored. The chapter attempts to deconstruct these concepts from a critical perspective and to show how they are intimately connected and interrelated.
