A critique of modernization and dependency theories in africa essay pages. The use of the term development to refer to national economic growth emerged in the united states beginning in the 1940s and in association with a key american foreign policy concern. The central argument of this theory is that the world economic system is highly unequal in its distribution of power and resources due to. Dependency theory is the notion that resources flow from a periphery of poor and underdeveloped states to a core of wealthy states, enriching the latter at the expense of the former. The modernization and dependency theories of development essay. The drought and the influx of ghanians expelled from nigeria played a role in the development of ghana, but the strongest influence was the.
There are different conceptions of development and, consequently, disparate approaches to the subject. Dependency theorists sought to explain persistent levels of under development in latin america by situating national economies within their global economic context. Prebisch and his colleagues were troubled by the fact that economic growth in the advanced industrialized countries did not necessarily lead to growth in the. One advantage of the dependency theory is that the theory arose around 1960 as a reaction to some earlier theories of development which held that all societies progress through similar stages of development, that todays underdeveloped areas are thus in a similar situation to that of todays developed areas at some time in the past, and that therefore the task in helping the underdeveloped. Modernization theory claimed that once developing societies came into contact with western european and north american societies, they would be impelled toward modernization and, eventually, would achieve the economic, political, and social features characteristic of the nations of western europe and the united. Download file to see previous pages the united states and the united kingdom and the less developed countries found in asia, africa, and latin america. Andre gunder frank 1971 argues that developing nations have failed to develop not because of internal barriers to development as modernization theorists argue, but because the developed west has systematically underdeveloped.
The dependency theory failed in ghana, according to ahiakpor, because of its focus on historical development, and because the government failed to anticipate many of the consequences of their policy. Institutional theories, path dependence, rule of law, property rights, and development reforms. As recent scholarship in the tradition of the dependency theory has shown the emergence of a group of semiperipheries tends to be at the expense of another group, but the unequal structure of the global economy based on unequal transfer tends to remain stable tausch 2010, p. A critique of modernization and dependency theories in. Development and underdevelopment in the third world. Dependency theory holds that the condition of underdevelopment is precisely the result of the incorporation of the third world economies into the capitalist world system which is dominated by the west and north america randall and theobald 1998, 120, hence in development studies, dependency implies a situation in which a. Introduction dependency theory holds that the condition of underdevelopment is precisely the result of the incorporation of the third world economies into the capitalist world system which is dominated by the west and north america. Dependency theory, sometimes called foreign dependency, is used to explain the failure of nonindustrialized countries to develop economically despite investments made into them from industrialized nations. For this purpose, this paper examines the definitions of dependency, general perspectives, classifications, and the criticism of dependency theory. At the beginning of the 1970s, new concepts of development theory began increasingly to be articulated in english by writers inspired by the work of radical latin american scholars. Comparison of dependency theory with modernization theory. This term is used to indicate countries that are less economically developed than the united. While dependency theory as a conscious, explicit approach to development.
Overview of andre gunder franks dependency theory for aqa a level sociology specification. This model relates to the scholars like andre gunder frank, samir amin, immanuel wallerstein and h. This essay focuses on two related radical theories of development, dependency and worldsystems theory, and shows how they emerged as a critique partly of modernization theory and of the development strategy of import substitution industrialization. Stated another way, marxist theories explain the reasons why imperialism occurs, while dependency theories explain the consequences of imperialism. Depending on which theory that is being looked at, there are different explanations to the process of development and their. A critique of modernization and dependency theories in africa. Development, underdevelopment, dependency, bad leadership and governance. Vincent ferraro, mount holyoke college south hadley, ma july 1996. Drawing on concrete examples of rule of law and property rights reforms, we argue that path dependence theory can shed some light on past failures and provide guidance for future reforms. Development theory is a collection of theories about how desirable change in society is best achieved. While for liberals underdevelopment is a condition or situation from which. The main weakness of dependency theory lies in explaining the origin of underdevelopment. Law and development in the light of dependency theory jstor. The origin of dependency theory came as an alternative to the theories of modernisation and development as formulated and supported by the western and marxist.
Dependency theory of underdevelopment social development. Development theory refers to the research and writing that resulted from this effort. Dependency theory and chinese special economic zones in africa 93 honita. The endogenous explanation is a modernization theory. In conclusion when analysing the different theories of development it is apparent that all the three main theories can be recognised as having some influence within developing countries. Dependency and worldsystems perspectives on development. In this article, multiple theories are discussed, as are recent developments with regard to these theories. Analysis of the chinese modernization program essay pages. These concepts which have come to be known as dependency theories, have not only gained, in a short space of time, widespread acceptance by left wing intellectuals but have also permeated the thinking of ldc.
The theory arose around 1970 as a reaction to some earlier theories of development like the modernization theory which said that all societies progress through similar stages of development, and that underdeveloped areas are thus in a similar situation to that of todays developed areas at some time in the past, and that therefore the task in. Dependency theory today 72 miguel angel centeno 10. Development theory development theory dependency and world systems theories. There is harmony of interest between the center in the center nation and the center in the periphery nation. Structuralist and modernist theories of development. Relevancy of the modernization theory in achieving development in the least developed countries like tanzania essay pages.
Difference between modernization theory and dependency. It is, broadly speaking, a marxist theory of development. Modernization consists of a gradual differentiation and specialization of social structures. Modernization, modernization theory a term and approach that came into widespread use in the early 1960s, as a consequence of the efforts by a group of development specialists in the united states to develop an alternative to the marxist account of social development. Development theory, cluster of research and theories on economic and political development the emergence of development theory. Dependency theory challenged both western and eastern stagist theories of development, and rejected both the us and the soviet union as ideal models of development. The more things change, the more they stay the same 79 ian taylor 11. The modernization theory elaborates on two main categories of societies in world, namely the traditional. A comparative analysis it matters little how much information we possess about development if we have not grasped its inner meaning.
Instead, dependency theory insisted that nations are not isolated economic units with separate parallel histories, but integrated parts of a single, global, political economy with. It is a central contention of dependency theory that poor states are impoverished and rich ones enriched by the way poor states are integrated into the world system. Dependency theory is a popular theory within the social sciences to explain economic development of states. The discourse pins hope on the african renaissance theory of development.
A common term used in the news and social media today is the developing world. The case of dependency theory by tony smith in the midst of the turbulent seventies, when the ascendancy of the south, or noncommunist industrializing countries, is everywhere in evidence, it is a bit difficult to remember back to the sixties when the social science establishment in the united states apparently dominated. The dependency theory claims that this is how underdevelopment was created and is still being reproduced. Introduction dependency theory, as a theory that purports to explain the related conditions of economic development and the lack of, and evident need for it, in the countries of the periphery, or third worlda condition that some dependistas theorists of dependency refer to as underdevelopmenthas. Dependency theory developed in the late 1950s under the guidance of the director of the united nations economic commission for latin america, raul prebisch. First, the dependency theory is a characterization of the international system as comprising of a dominant and a dependent state, where the dominant states are the industrialized nations belonging to the oecd organization for economic cooperation and development, and the dependent states are the states of latin america, africa, and asia. Therefore, dependency theory provides little hope to developing countries. He also commented critically on what he called the world system of the 1970s and 1980s that maintained inequality in the world. This paper aims to present a comparative analysis between the modernization theory and the dependency theory.
Development theory economics and political science. An xray of dependency theories imperialism, according to galthung, 1971, in his structural theory of imperialism, is a relation between a centre advanced country and a periphery third world nation so that. A german national, he is best known today for his work on what he called the development of underdevelopment or dependency theory. The difference between modernization theory and dependency theory is that one explains how developed states operate and grow, while the other explains the exact opposite. Given the continuing inequality among nations, the north. The focus of this theory is the totality of society and social system periphery, which highlights the. The conclusion is that both theories have failed to help develop africa. Development theory dependency and world systems theories. Modernization theory and dependency theory are two development theories between which some difference can be identified. These theories are the modernization theory, the dependency theory and the feminist theory.
Dependency theory developed in the late 1950s under the guidance of the. Modernization theory focuses on the social elements which facilitate social progress and development of societies, and further aims to explain the process of social evolution. This post is a brief summary of the dependency theory view of development and underdevelopment. The theories of underdevelopment are essentially dependency theories. What is the difference between modernization theory and. Such theories draw on a variety of social science disciplines and approaches. The theory developed during the late 1950s and over the following two. Stated another way, marxist theories explain the reasons why imperialism occurs, while dependency theories explain the consequences of. Modernization theory explains the progress and development of technology in more stable regions of the world. Paul baran, in his work the political economy of growth 1973, first published in 1957, pioneered the theory of underdevelopment.
For developing countries, regional integration may create a more stable economic policy environment and help to increase their power in. Dependency theory dependency theory has been presented as a theory of development that improves modernisation theory reyes, 2001a. It combines elements from a neomarxist theory and adopts a revolution of under developed nations model. Modernization is a theory that looks at the domestic factors of a country with the assumption that, with help underdeveloped countries can be brought to development in using the same methods that more developed countries used. The political economy of africa and dependency theory 67 patrick bond 9. Modernization versus dependency in the context of colonial. The discourse assesses the influence of modernization and dependency theories on africas development. The relevance of dependent development then and now. Dependency theory seeks to analyze international politics by concerning itself with the existing unequal relationship among nationstates i.
Latin american dependency theory global south studies, u. The marxist theory of imperialism explains dominant state expansion while the dependency theory explains underdevelopment. Denis goulet, the cruel choice development must be redefined as an attack on the chief evils of the world today. Conversations on dependency theory institute for new economic. Worldsystems theory, dependency theory and global inequality duration.
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