It is a provocative study exploring development not only through the lens of ‘economy’ measured in terms of GDP growth but also focusing on the significance of human capital, the role of university education, cultural values, health and human development, evolving paradigms, and structural prejudices in the social sciences. He argues that factors—historical, institutional, political, cultural, sociological, and psychological—inherently, if not intrinsically, hinder or facilitate the process of development.