After a brief historical survey starting around 1930, the article discusses some of the main new concepts used in development models. Thus, the Domar-Harrod principle, planning in stages, input-output, and two-gap models are discussed. From national models we have now attained a point of world models. The newest developments are characterized by the introduction of income distribution variables, the informal sector, appropriate technologies and environmental variables. New uses made of models recognize the existence of more than one policy maker, or alternative groups in power as wen as ~'interactive multiple goal planning". 1. mSTORlCAL Development policies may be considered a component-and a very important one at that-of socio-economic policies generally. Accordingly, the roots of development planning have to be looked for in the first attempts to conduct socioeconomic policies in a planned way. Two branches stand out; central planning as developed in the Soviet Union from the late 19208onward, and indicative macroplanning, as elaborated in some Western countries. Of course, there are large differences between the two approaches. Soviet planning was seen as obligatory (as distinct from indicative), and it (as distinct from macro planning) dealt with an enormous number of details. For quite some time, moreover, the use of mathematical models was not considered appropriate in the Soviet Union. In this article I propose to deal with socio-economic policy preparation with the aid of econometrically tested models. The first attempts originated in the Netherlands in 1936, when I, assisted by B. G. F. Buys, set up a simple macro-model in order to formulate a policy for that period, in the aftermath of the great depression[20] . During World War II, J. E. Meade and collaborators in the British "Cabinet Offices" made related studies directed at the solution of war fmance problems. After World War II, various forms of indicative planning-with a varying degree of compulsion-developed in Western countries. In the USA, the Council of Economic Advisors was established, but the main emphasis of its activities was *The author, a Nobel Laureate (Economics), is Professor Emeritus at the Centre for Devel