The purpose of this chapter is to introduce social development for discussion and analysis. It lays out the book’s main points and establishes its philosophical underpinnings. The chapter seeks to define the key concepts and terminologies undergirding the book. It first examines social development from a global perspective and then locates it in the context of South Africa. It also sketches the evolution of the social development approach in South Africa in the last 30 years. An examination of the developmental state is undertaken while linking it to the history of the liberation struggle in South Africa. Furthermore, the concept of a developmental state is unpacked in the last part of the chapter while making the case for this state form in a country like South Africa. Other issues which are discussed in the chapter and the rest of the book are also examined, for example, social policy, social welfare and social work.