A Balancing Act: Private Actors in Development Processes

Introduction We live in interesting and challenging times because we find our- selves in a transition phase. Development models that are focused on the state and those that are focused on the market basically both have failed to deliver sustainable development outcomes at the global level. The past decades have seen industrial revolutions, service revolutions and ICT revolutions. They have been characterized by a capitalist growth logic, by unsustainable use of resources and by enormous prosperity in some places paired with continued poverty in others. The coming era calls for more integrated attention to sustainability, equity and solidarity. While both state-driven and market-driven models have lost much of their credibility, it is as yet unclear what kinds of development models might take centre stage in the new age.