Slicing up the Developing World

This thesis studies the proliferation of categories of developing countries within the UN, starting with the first formal category created by the organisation (the Least Developed Countries - LDC) and ending with the first negotiated LDC graduation case. Triangulation of data collected through literature review, document analysis, semi-structured interviews and descriptive statistics allows the issue of differentiation or categorisation of developing countries to be examined in terms of two main factors: interest and power; studied separately and in relation to each other and analysed through (institutional) behaviour. The ultimate goal is to understand how interests shape and modify behaviour and how interests can be translated into policy decisions.