Ten Consequential and Actionable ‘Social’ Contributions to the Theory, Practice, and Evaluation of Development

This working paper examines ten major contributions from social science research to the theory, practice, and evaluation of economic and social development. Rao and Woolcock argue that social factors—such as trust, norms, legitimacy, identity, participation, and collective action—play a central role in shaping development outcomes. The paper synthesizes lessons from development practice and research to demonstrate how incorporating social dimensions can improve policy design, implementation, and evaluation across a wide range of development contexts.