COMMUNICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT: STRATEGIC ADAPTATIONS AND HISTORICAL ITERATIONS

Abstract

The old paradigms of development communication are giving way to new approaches because development and communication are necessarily evolving and involving dynamic processes. In this article, we recount the strategic adaptations that characterise the transitions from one development communication epoch to another, starting from the Marshall Plan through the dominant paradigm, dependency, and participatory approaches to the most recent explications. Two of the most recent developments are postulations by McAnany (2012) about social entrepreneurship, and the new prognosis by Jacobson (2016) on the capabilities approach. These continuing adaptations and developments underline the persistent attention from academia and the field of practice. The ongoing attention notwithstanding, formulations of extant theories have not kept pace with these new developments in the field, although the early signs are promising for the eventual emergence of full-blown theories to explain the intriguing interface between development and communication. The final verdict is that development and social change communication is vital for saving the world through redressing poverty, which is a pervasive global problem that is more than simple economic deprivation.