Organizational Legitimacy and the Development Discourse

Development economics emerged as a discipline after World War II. Development ideas came to shape the legitimization strategies of imperial business during decolonization and continued to do so after independence. This chapter traces the nature of this development discourse internationally, specifically in West Africa, and how it shaped corporate responses to political and economic change. The influence of development discourse went beyond corporate strategies to foster political goodwill. It influenced commercial strategies such as refocusing activities and expansion beyond urban areas. By the late 1960s, this development discourse was under strain, and consequently, multinationals found it more challenging to maintain the legitimacy of their subsidiaries.