Modernisation and Dependency Theories of Development
Essay by Greek • January 25, 2012 • Essay • 930 Words (4 Pages) • 2,225 Views
Modernization and Dependency Theory
Introduction and background to theories
* Modernization and dependency theories are the dominant explanations for development/underdevelopment
* The end of ww2 changed existing order of world affairs;
* Victory ravaged economies of Europe and Britain and left US as a world super power (economically and militarily)
* But this US status was not unchallenged; The Soviet Union acquired influence of Eastern European socialist regimes
* The collapse of colonial empires gave rise to new states claiming sovereignty and considering the Marxist road to inclusion in modern developed world
* Prompting American scholarly investigations into the underdeveloped nations and the experience of development (obviously valorising/selling the American experience)
The history of modernisation theory
* A new body 9of literature exploring severe contrasts btwn developed and developing worlds
* This inquisition founded and moulded the "modernisation perspective"
* Modernisation theory (MT);
* views social change as being unidirectional and gradual
* Societies moving from a state of primacy to modernity (two opposite ends of a continuum- a process)
* The process is believed to be one of "advancement" and "growth" taking centauries to complete
* MT makes distinctions btwn modern and traditional societies, to provide a framework of 'categorisation'
* Traditional societies;
o Affective relationships (face to face)
o Particularistic relationships (built on familiarity and trust)
o Collective orientation (community above the individual)
o Functionally diffused but highly inefficient roles
* Modern Societies;
o Affective neutral relationships
o Universalistic relationships
o Self orientation
o Achieved status
o Efficient functionally specific roles
The 5 Stages of Modernization Theory
* The growth along the above mentioned continuum is marked by 5 stages in MT
* Stage one: "traditional stage"
o An underdeveloped country is undergoing very little social change
* Stage two: "preconditions for takeoff growth"
o Society begins to show signs of growth; from rising entrepreneurship to the expansion of markets
o Once in this phase a catalyst is needed to propel it into the next stage
o The catalyst can be; revolutions, increased demand for exports and so on
* Stage three: "Take off stage"
o The society needs to recycle 10% of national income into the economy, until economic growth becomes an automatic process
o This needs to be done for this stage to be successful
* Stage four: "the drive to maturity"
o In which employment opportunities, national income and the domestic market are all increasing
o This will lead the society into the 5th and final stage
* Stage five: "high mass consumption society'
Assumptions of Modernization Theory
* The growth towards modernisation is gradual, unidirectional and desirable
* It is also irreversible, homogenising (unifying all sectors of society), systematic, transformative and immanent
* The society must therefore shed all traditional values and traditional structures of their society
* This places the focus of development theory solely on the internal structure of underdeveloped countries
History of Dependency Theory (DT)
* The focus of MT on internal factors was an inadequate exploration into development for many scholars
* External factors were deemed important by many
* The
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