Ziai follows these criticisms and offers a response according to various post-development theorists to how these particular problems can be mitigated. While he provide answers to these issues, Ziai also recognizes these criticisms have root in the two discourses within post-development itself. One romanticizes the traditional culture, based on a complete rejection of modernity while the other is more skeptical of these same topics, employing a more constructivist view on culture. Hence treating all the different strains of post-development as a whole coherent school of thought leads to these criticisms. It is necessary to differentiate between these heterogeneous views. .
Gibson-Graham, also known as Julie Graham and Katherine Gibson, argue that critics who denounce post-development theory as anti-development are misled. What post-development attempts to accomplish is not necessarily giving up on development, per se, but "to imagine and practice development differently by generating new and experimental discourses and practices of development." In the vein of post-development thinkers, they agree that the construct of development held by the "developed" world has tainted the way development is dealt with in the "developing" world. .
Gibson-Graham point out the misguided perspective of organizations such as the World Bank which views development as uneven, unidirectional and capitalist. They suggest that the post-development approach instead focuses on the local and regional development looking at ethico-political decisions, not just structural imperatives. This would include recognizing what is already in place in the area, emphasizing relations rather than the logics of development, and building upon the economic interdependence of individuals and groups.
They particularly point out the success stories of the cooperative culture in Spain and the social/solidarity economy movements in Quebec to highlight post-development theory in action.
