We propose a theoretical framework that tries to characterize and understand capacity development processes oriented to the promotion of a critical development practice, an approach that faces the tensions between reformist and critical views of development management. It is what we call capacity development for emancipatory social change.

From this framework, we explore a postgraduate university programme in development management offered by the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (Spain), with two aims: first, to carry out an inquiry of the programme as a capacity development process in the training of critical development practitioners; second, to discuss the suitability of the framework for understanding similar capacity development processes.