Paternalism limits a person’s or group’s autonomy ‘for their own good’, often by removing any agency from those it supposedly seeks to help. It is derived from the Latin word ‘pater’, meaning ‘father’, and in the context of development it can often inform the way that governments, international organizations and even NGOs treat historically marginalized groups such as poor communities, minorities, indigenous peoples and even entire continents in the global south. (See more on Wikipedia)