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Revisiting the Meaning of Development: A Multidimensional Taxonomy of Developing Countries

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  • Sergio Tezanos V�zquez
  • Andy Sumner

Abstract

Many have challenged the use of income per capita as the primary proxy for measuring development since Seers's seminal works. This article continues this tradition with a more recent twist. We use cluster analysis to build a multidimensional taxonomy of developing countries using a set of indicators covering four conceptual frames on 'development'. The value-added of the article is not to suggest that our classification is the end in itself, but -- more modestly -- to demonstrate that more work on taxonomies is required in light of the weakness of classifications based solely on income and the changing distribution of global poverty.

Suggested Citation

  • Sergio Tezanos V�zquez & Andy Sumner, 2013. "Revisiting the Meaning of Development: A Multidimensional Taxonomy of Developing Countries," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(12), pages 1728-1745, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:49:y:2013:i:12:p:1728-1745
    DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2013.822071
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sumner, Andy, 2012. "Where Do The Poor Live?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(5), pages 865-877.
    2. Kaufmann, Daniel & Kraay, Aart & Mastruzzi, Massimo, 2005. "Governance matters IV : governance indicators for 1996-2004," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3630, The World Bank.
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    Cited by:

    1. Vic Benuyenah, 2024. "Economies as 'Makers' or 'Users': Rectifying the Polysemic Quandary with a Dualist Taxonomy," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(1), pages 3100-3121, March.
    2. Guerrero, Omar A. & Guariso, Daniele & Castañeda, Gonzalo, 2023. "Aid effectiveness in sustainable development: A multidimensional approach," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    3. Andy Sumner, 2016. "The world's two new middles: Growth, precarity, structural change, and the limitations of the special case," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2016-34, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Donatella Saccone & Mario Deaglio, 2020. "Poverty, emergence, boom and affluence: a new classification of economies," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 37(1), pages 267-306, April.
    5. Rogelio Madrueño-Aguilar, 2017. "Global Income Distribution and the Middle-Income Strata: Implications for the World Development Taxonomy Debate," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 29(1), pages 1-18, January.
    6. Mitra, Sophie & Palmer, Michael & Vuong, Vu, 2020. "Development and interdisciplinarity: A citation analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    7. Gianni Vaggi, 2018. "Development Finance in the age of Financial Mercantilism," DEM Working Papers Series 157, University of Pavia, Department of Economics and Management.
    8. repec:hal:gemptp:halshs-04830453 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Stawicka Ewa, 2023. "The Impact of Innovation on the Sustainable Development of Enterprises," Folia Oeconomica Stetinensia, Sciendo, vol. 23(2), pages 370-386, December.
    10. Deguilhem, Thibaud & Frontenaud, Adrien, 2016. "Régimes de qualité de l’emploi et diversité des pays émergents," Revue de la Régulation - Capitalisme, institutions, pouvoirs, Association Recherche et Régulation, vol. 19.
    11. Gianni Vaggi, 2015. "Development and the post-2015 challenges: making the Sustainable Development Goals work," DEM Working Papers Series 107, University of Pavia, Department of Economics and Management.
    12. Redmond, Trumel & Nasir, Muhammad Ali, 2020. "Role of natural resource abundance, international trade and financial development in the economic development of selected countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    13. Madrueño, Rogelio & Tezanos, Sergio, 2018. "The contemporary development discourse: Analysing the influence of development studies’ journals," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 334-345.
    14. Klarin Tomislav, 2018. "The Concept of Sustainable Development: From its Beginning to the Contemporary Issues," Zagreb International Review of Economics and Business, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, vol. 21(1), pages 67-94, May.
    15. Thibaud Deguilhem & Adrien Frontenaud, 2016. "Quality of Employment Regimes and Diversity of Emerging Countries [Régimes de qualité de l’emploi et diversité des pays émergents]," Post-Print halshs-02283486, HAL.
    16. Gianni Vaggi, 2017. "The rich and the poor: A note on countries’ classification," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 70(280), pages 59-82.
    17. Andy Sumner, 2013. "Global Poverty, Aid, and Middle-Income Countries: Are the Country Classifications Moribund or is Global Poverty in the Process of 'Nationalizing'?," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2013-062, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    18. Nock, Destenie & Levin, Todd & Baker, Erin, 2020. "Changing the policy paradigm: A benefit maximization approach to electricity planning in developing countries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    19. Deborah Barros Leal Farias, 2023. "Country differentiation in the global environmental context: Who is ‘developing’ and according to what?," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 253-269, September.
    20. Edward, Peter & Sumner, Andy, 2014. "Estimating the Scale and Geography of Global Poverty Now and in the Future: How Much Difference Do Method and Assumptions Make?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 67-82.
    21. Douch, Mustapha & Edwards, Huw & Landman, Todd & Mallick, Sushanta, 2022. "Aid effectiveness: Human rights as a conditionality measure," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    22. Andy Sumner, 2016. "The world's two new middles Growth, precarity, structural change, and the limitations of the special case," WIDER Working Paper Series 034, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    23. Sergio Tezanos Vázquez & Andy Sumner, 2016. "Is the ‘Developing World’ Changing? A Dynamic and Multidimensional Taxonomy of Developing Countries," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 28(5), pages 847-874, November.
    24. Seny Kan, Konan A. & Agbodjo, Serge & Gandja, Serge V., 2021. "Accounting polycentricity in Africa: Framing an ‘accounting and development’ research agenda," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).

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