Compare and contrast any two theories of development. To what extent can you find evidence to support either of these in the contemporary developing world?

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Sociology OCB

Susan Skipper

DEVELOPMENT THEORIES

OCB SOCIOLOGY

ESSAY

In this essay I have chosen to examine the modernisation and dependency theories of development.  These two theories come from completely different ends of the political and economic spectrum. The modernisation theory is basically a functionalist or capitalist theory, supported by Margaret Thatcher amongst others, whilst the dependency theory leans more towards a Marxist or communist standpoint.  In this essay I will identify areas in which the theories are similar, if any, and those where they disagree.  I will find evidence to show where these theories have been applied in less developed countries.

Following the Second World War the world split into communist and capitalist nations.  The capitalist nations were known as the ‘First World’, the communist nations became known as the ‘Second World’, and the countries that did not side with either ideology became known as the ‘Third World’.  The capitalist world, broadly speaking lies in the Northern Hemisphere, plus Australia and New Zealand, whereas ‘Third World’ countries tend to be along the Equator or in the Southern Hemisphere.  These ‘Third World’ countries have tended to be countries that were created by the great colonial powers of the capitalist world including Great Britain, the USA, France, Spain and Portugal.  Colonialism exploited and changed the nature and economy of these countries leading to underdevelopment.  The term the ‘Third World’ is a pejorative label, so for the purpose of this essay I will refer to ‘Third World’ countries as ‘less developed’ or ‘developing’ countries.

Walt Whitman Rostow an American Economic Historian produced a booklet in the 1960s entitled “Stages of Economic Development”.  Rostow’s modernisation theory suggested that countries needed to pass through five stages of economic development:

1, Traditional Society – Traditional methods are used in the main form of production – agriculture, and the economy is mainly subsistence.  Any surplus goods produced tend to be bartered in exchange for other goods.

2, Transitional Stage – Traditional methods are abandoned and specialisation is encouraged to produce a greater surplus of goods to trade with.  The production of ‘cash crops’ is encouraged.  The country’s infrastructure is improved to ease the transport of goods for trade.  Entrepreneurs emerge as incomes and investments grow.  Urbanisation takes place.

3, Take Off – Workers switch from agriculture to industry and industrialisation increases.  Along with the economic changes there are new political and social institutions along the lines of those in the developed countries.  Investment leads to increasing incomes, which in turn generates finance for further investment.  The growth is self-sustaining.

4, Drive to Maturity – New areas of production are used in the economy i.e. technology, and a greater diversity of goods are produced making the country less dependent on imports.

5, High Mass Consumption – The developing country is now developed and consumes high quantities of goods similar to the Northern countries which it seeks to emulate.

Rostow believed that this development path represented a ‘natural’ progression from underdevelopment to full technological and democratic advancement.  His theory is based on the assumption that traditionalism is wrong and that in order to develop, all the traditional methods previously used must be abandoned.  In fact the lack of development in these countries is commonly blamed on the existence of traditional ideology, religion and culture.  For example Islamic countries such as the Taliban controlled Afghanistan have gone as far as banning many of the things that the developed world takes for granted, such as radios, televisions, education for women and even employment for women.

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Countries that are labelled as being ‘traditional’ are in effect deprived of a past or history prior to colonialism or development.

“To classify these countries as ‘traditional societies’ implies either that the underdeveloped countries have no history or that it is unimportant.”

(Griffin, 1969, Development versus Dependency theory, 28th April 2002, www.revision-notes.co.uk)

In fact prior to exploitation through slavery, followed by colonialism, many of these countries had rich cultures and civilisations.  Prior to the advent of the slave trade the people of the African continent had long traded goods with neighbouring societies as far up the continent as Morocco. ...

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