ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on development theories where the state is the key actor in defining, driving and shaping development. Themes covered include Marxist theories of development, structuralism and dependency theories. The chapter also considers how state-led models of development have been implemented, focusing on so-called ‘developmental states’ in East Asia, socialism and development in the Soviet Union, Maoism and China’s development trajectory, and state-led development endeavours in Africa.
