original_query: What is Escobar's theory regarding the development era?
query: What is Arturo Escobar's theory regarding the development era?
answer: Escobar theorizes that the development era was a discursive construction stemming from Truman's foreign policy, which characterized underdeveloped nations as needing significant change.  This led to a reorganization of bureaucracy focused on systematically altering the 'third world', fueled by American social reproduction and imperial ambitions, ultimately supporting American hegemony.