The book synthesizes a great deal of information and
diverse perspectives on social development. In selecting the
topics of emphasis, Midgley lays out his definition of social
development in depth. The book is logically organized into
four sections. In the first section, he discusses definitions of
social development, the history of social development, and its
place within the overall framework of development. He begins
with a broad definition of social development as “a process
of planned social change designed to promote the well-being
of the population as a whole within the context of a dynamic
multifaceted development process”. He then identifies a set of characteristics of social development including “productivist,”
meaning that social development interventions
contribute to economic development. This is not necessarily
a part of all definitions of social development, but it explains
the book’s heavy emphasis on interventions that have an economic
component. This background is followed in Section II
by two chapters summarizing theories and theoretical debates.