This book provides a complete and powerful overview of what the idea of development has meant. Rist traces it from its origins in the Western view of history, through the early stages of the world system, the rise of U.S. hegemony, the supposed triumph of the third world, through to new concerns about the environment and globalization. In two completely new chapters on the Millennium Development Goals and post-development thinking, Rist brings the book completely up to date. Throughout, he argues that development has been no more than a collective delusion, which in reality has only resulted in widening market relations, despite the good intentions of its advocates.