The big idea: Development does not just 'happen' — actors drive it, block it and shape who benefits. The big players are states, IFIs, NGOs and civil society, and MNCs — and they often pull in different directions.
To answer any development essay, you need to know who does what, and their power and limits. Each actor can help development — and each can hold it back — so the exam skill is weighing them against each other.
- States & governments — set policy, tax and spend, build infrastructure; the main driver inside a country.
- IGOs & IFIs — the World Bank, IMF and WTO lend money, set rules and give advice (with conditions).
- NGOs & civil society — deliver aid, run projects and hold governments to account, especially at the grassroots.
- TNCs / MNCs — invest, create jobs and bring technology — but also extract profit and can exploit.
No single actor is enough: States hold the real power but can be weak or corrupt; IFIs have money but attach conditions; NGOs are trusted but small; MNCs bring investment but chase profit. Real development usually needs them to work together — and it often fails when they clash.
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The most debated actors are the big companies (MNCs) — because they bring huge investment but also raise hard questions about who really gains.
Case study — MNCs and development: A large multinational company invests in a poorer country. The same company can drive development or inhibit it.
How it can drive development
- It brings jobs, technology, infrastructure and tax revenue.
- This is a real boost to development.
How it can inhibit development
- It may pay low wages.
- It may avoid taxes or damage the environment.
- It may take most of the profits out of the country.
Which one happens depends on whether the host state is strong enough to make the deal fair.
This is the pattern for every development actor: potential to help, potential to harm. The outcome depends on power — whether the state and people can hold the actor to terms that actually develop the country.
The key point: Development is shaped by states, IFIs, NGOs and MNCs, each with real power and real limits. Whether an actor like an MNC drives or inhibits development depends on the balance of power — above all, whether the host state can make the terms fair.
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Which actor matters most for development — the state, or outside actors (IFIs, NGOs, MNCs)? A key recurring debate. Weigh it.
Do NGOs really change development?
NGOs deliver aid and reach the poorest, but they are small next to states and markets, cannot set national policy, and can create dependency or bypass governments — so their effect on national development is real but limited.
Why IFIs are powerful but controversial
The World Bank and IMF lend the money poorer states need, but their loans often come with conditions (cut spending, open markets) that critics say can harm the poor — so their power over development is huge and contested.
Two perspectives — weigh them: One view: the state is the key driver — only it can develop a whole country. Another view: outside actors (IFIs, MNCs, NGOs) supply the money, investment and reach the state lacks. Strong essays evaluate both, often concluding development needs a capable state that can harness outside actors on fair terms.
How development actors come up in Paper 2: A Paper 2 essay might ask which actor does most for development — states, IGOs, NGOs or MNCs. Weigh what each can and can't do, then reach a judgement (usually: a capable state that harnesses the rest).
The 15-mark markband (what moves you up)
Bands 1–6
Mostly descriptive; perspectives not identified.
avoid
Bands 7–9
Clear knowledge, but perspectives identified, not explored.
7–9
Bands 10–12
Well-supported argument; perspectives explored.
10–12
Bands 13–15
Balanced, compelling; perspectives explored AND evaluated.
13–15
Evaluate the claim that multinational companies do more to harm development than to help it.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Common mistakes: 1. Treating one actor as all-good or all-bad. Each helps AND harms.
2. No real case. Use MNC investment / an IFI loan / an NGO project.
3. Ignoring power. The state's strength decides the outcome.
4. Describing each actor in turn. Rank them against the specific problem in the question.
5. No judgement. Conclude on which actor matters most and why.