The Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) norm has a controversial relationship with development which has led to divisions between both academics and governments. The article differentiates between three camps: minimalist, middle ground, and radical, whilst arguing that the debate is hindered by the lack of data on this specific issue. Helping to address this lacuna, the article puts forward the first thematic analysis on development and mass atrocities in the 21st century. To do this it analyses thirty-seven countries and Human Development Index (HDI) data (1990‒2020) to establish patterns in HDI data for countries that have experienced mass atrocities or for which there were serious concerns of, both with regard to status/absolute positions in the ranking and change/trajectory. It puts forward eight key findings which collectively show that there are no patterns that link mass atrocities, or serious concerns of them taking place, to status, rank, or a particular direction of change. Drawing on these findings, the article defends the minimalist position that the RtoP should not engage with long-term development issues.

保护责任 (RtoP) 规范与发展存在有争议的关系，这导致了学术界和政府之间的分歧。这篇文章区分了三个阵营：极简主义、中间立场和激进派，同时认为由于缺乏关于这个特定问题的数据而阻碍了辩论。为弥补这一缺陷，本文首次对 21 世纪的发展和大规模暴行进行了专题分析。为此，它分析了 37 个国家和人类发展指数 (HDI) 数据（1990-2020 年），以确定经历过大规模暴行或受到严重关注的国家的人类发展指数（HDI）数据模式，无论是关于地位/排名和变化/轨迹中的绝对位置。它提出了八项主要调查结果，这些调查结果共同表明，没有任何模式将大规模暴行或正在发生的严重罪行与地位、等级或特定的变化方向联系起来。根据这些发现，本文捍卫了 RtoP 不应参与长期发展问题的极简主义立场。