What do you think?
Rate this book
The Development Dilemma: Security, Prosperity, and a Return to History
Reassessing the developing world through the lens of Europe's past
Today’s developing nations emerged from the rubble of the Second World War. Only a handful of these countries have subsequently attained a level of prosperity and security comparable to that of the advanced industrial world. The implication is those who study the developing world in order to learn how development can be achieved lack the data to do so.
In The Development Dilemma , Robert Bates responds to this challenge by turning to history, focusing on England and France. By the end of the eighteenth century, England stood poised to enter “the great transformation.” France by contrast verged on state failure, and life and property were insecure. Probing the histories of these countries, Bates uncovers a powerful tension between prosperity and both may be necessary for development, he argues, but efforts to achieve the one threaten the achievement of the other. A fundamental tension pervades the political economy of development.
Bates also argues that while the creation of a central hierarchy―a state―may be necessary to the achievement of development, it is not sufficient. What matters is how the power of the state is used. France and England teach us that in some settings the seizure and redistribution of wealth―not its safeguarding and fostering―is a winning political strategy. These countries also suggest the features that mark those settings―features that appear in nations throughout the developing world.
Returning to the present, Bates applies these insights to the world today. Drawing on fieldwork in Zambia and Kenya, and data from around the globe, he demonstrates how the past can help us to understand the performance of nations in today’s developing world.
Today’s developing nations emerged from the rubble of the Second World War. Only a handful of these countries have subsequently attained a level of prosperity and security comparable to that of the advanced industrial world. The implication is those who study the developing world in order to learn how development can be achieved lack the data to do so.
In The Development Dilemma , Robert Bates responds to this challenge by turning to history, focusing on England and France. By the end of the eighteenth century, England stood poised to enter “the great transformation.” France by contrast verged on state failure, and life and property were insecure. Probing the histories of these countries, Bates uncovers a powerful tension between prosperity and both may be necessary for development, he argues, but efforts to achieve the one threaten the achievement of the other. A fundamental tension pervades the political economy of development.
Bates also argues that while the creation of a central hierarchy―a state―may be necessary to the achievement of development, it is not sufficient. What matters is how the power of the state is used. France and England teach us that in some settings the seizure and redistribution of wealth―not its safeguarding and fostering―is a winning political strategy. These countries also suggest the features that mark those settings―features that appear in nations throughout the developing world.
Returning to the present, Bates applies these insights to the world today. Drawing on fieldwork in Zambia and Kenya, and data from around the globe, he demonstrates how the past can help us to understand the performance of nations in today’s developing world.
200 pages, Hardcover
Published September 26, 2017
7 people want to read
About the author
Robert H. Bates
53 books6 followersRobert Hinrichs Bates (born 1942) is an American political scientist. He is Eaton Professor of the Science of Government in the Departments of Government and African and African American Studies at Harvard University. From 2000-2012, he served as Professeur associe, School of Economics, University of Toulouse.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 28, 2026
The Development Dilemma: Security, Prosperity, and a Return to History is a thoughtful, rigorously argued examination of development through a historical lens. Robert H. Bates combines comparative history with contemporary political economy to explore why some nations achieve prosperity and security while others struggle.
The book’s core strength lies in its careful juxtaposition of England and France in the 18th century, demonstrating how state power, wealth redistribution, and institutional choices shape developmental outcomes. Bates extends these lessons to modern contexts, using fieldwork in Zambia and Kenya alongside global data, offering a nuanced framework for understanding the persistent tensions between security and prosperity in developing nations.
Accessible yet intellectually robust, this work will appeal to scholars of political science, development studies, and economic history, as well as policymakers seeking historically informed perspectives on global development challenges.
The book’s core strength lies in its careful juxtaposition of England and France in the 18th century, demonstrating how state power, wealth redistribution, and institutional choices shape developmental outcomes. Bates extends these lessons to modern contexts, using fieldwork in Zambia and Kenya alongside global data, offering a nuanced framework for understanding the persistent tensions between security and prosperity in developing nations.
Accessible yet intellectually robust, this work will appeal to scholars of political science, development studies, and economic history, as well as policymakers seeking historically informed perspectives on global development challenges.
Displaying 1 of 1 review