[Quanttek]

I'm on mobile, so I can't provide you the full run-down. In short, I feel like the main problem is an understanding of "development" that may agree with popular conceptions, the UN, and the concept used by economists. However, this doesn't incorporate the thoughtful critiques of critical scholars that show the limits of such a narrow concept centered around economic development. There's a lot on how the cultural, social, political, and ecological dimensions are neglected, how it's operationalizations cover only a tiny sector of the economy (ignoring nature's and subsistence economy which are reduced whenever the financial economy is expanded), or how it reinforces Western and North-South power relations.

There's a lot of literature you might use to read up on this topic, especially critiques of the concept of sustainable topic. Of the top of my head, I can only think of "Ecofeminism" by Vandana Shiva & Maria Mies. While I personally disagree with the conclusions/recommendations of the book, this revolutionary book provides a thoughtful critique of development.

[elefanten]

I really doubt that people working on development in 2019 haven't even heard of critical development studies, especially Shiva who's been making these arguments for like 40 years.

Like, twenty years ago, a basic education on the topic would make the notion of "how the cultural, social, political, and ecological dimensions are neglected" a primary subject.

Every "popular" economist and UN official has doubtless engaged with these ideas. The fact that their work doesn't revolve around them or immediately agree with every component of them doesn't mean the development community is following narrow ideologies from 60 years ago.