Sustainability and diversity of development: Toward a generic model

Abstract

This paper presents the generic framework for a national-level model of sustainability. The basic assumption is that there is not one model (or condition) but multiple possibilities; not one path, but a multiplicity of options. The countries of this world are diverse indeed, and the challenges facing them are both generic and idiosyncratic. In appreciation of the complexity and diversity of development, our approach is to depict underlying structural and functional linkages representing' the profile of states, with the objective of exploring possible paths over time in response to structural conditions as well as policy choices.