Harvard’s Contributions to Development Economics

In this chapter on Harvard University’s contributions to development economics, Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are referred to as if both institutions shared similar styles of economics: they are either side of the Charles River and often exchange personnel. The material of the chapter falls into two halves. The first is a brief account of the work of Harvard economists in their work for the Ford Foundation in India and Pakistan and a section about modernisation theory which influenced many of the people who contributed most to the evolution of development economics. The second half contains detailed accounts of some of the major and significant personalities of Harvard and MIT development economists. These economists greatly influenced the aid policies of the US government and the World Bank.