Development is the process that brings growth, progress and positive change. It can encompass economic growth and an increase in people’s income, as well as social progress such as literacy and the provision of public services.
In a business sense, development can refer to a company’s plan to expand and improve its facilities or a product. It could also be used to describe an upcoming project, such as the building of a new apartment block. Developers hire a variety of professionals to address the specific needs of each project. They include architects and landscape architects to create the design; civil engineers and site planners to deal with the building’s physical limitations; market consultants to analyze a development’s demand and its economics; attorneys to handle agreements and government approvals; and surveyors and land title companies to provide legal descriptions of properties.
Lifespan researchers believe that development is influenced by the many social contexts in which it unfolds. They differ in their assumptions about whether development is caused by nature (genes, biology) or nurture (environment, learning). Some researchers, such as Vygotsky and information processing theorists, assume that human development is a continuous process.
Other researchers, like Nobel prize winner Amartya Sen, favor an “ability approach” to development, which emphasizes the capacity of people to grow and achieve their potential. These approaches, along with others, differ in their emphases and methodologies. All are attempts to understand the complex processes of development.