“A thirty-year perspective: past and future” is a series of windows into the 30-year period in Sub-Saharan Africa which saw a rapid change in GDP per capita from the early 1970s up until 1987. The document lays down several reasons for the lack of development in these countries, and gives various strategies that could help reform their economic conditions for a brighter future. From my perspective, the article focuses on theories of modernization, and this paper will be contradicting that theory by supporting the dependency theory, critically analysing the reasons for Africa’s poor economic performance in the past, as well as possibilities for the future.
Africa is a land with immense possibilities due to abundance of resources, but unfortunately their “high hopes of rapid development” met a crucial downfall, with fundamental problems in the economic, social and political arenas of the sub-continent. The article by the World Bank brings about evidence that suggests the modernization theory to be the key driving force to enable the weak state institutions to grow by referring to the importance of economic growth and industrialization of the countries in order to develop. “Industrialization was believed to be the engine of economic growth”, and focus on the importance of “transforming traditional economies” show sufficient evidence to prove the advocating of modernization theory in order to achieve development (pg 16, a thirty-year perspective: past and future, 1989).
Modernization theorists consider the primary source of change to be in terms of innovations, and they encourage the underdeveloped world to adopt new ideas, techniques, values that would transcend them from a traditional society to a “more rational” one. Hence the st...
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• World Bank. 1989. “A thirty-year perspective: past and future” In Sub-Saharan Africa: from crisis to sustainable growth (chap. 1)
• POL201 Lecture University of Toronto, 11 October: Dependency, underdevelopment and dependent development.
• http://www.undp.org/africa/ - United Nations Development Program, 2011
• Mukherjee, Aditya. 2010. “Empire: how colonial India made modern Britain.” Economic and Political Weekly XLV, no. 50
• Amin, Samir. 1972. “Underdevelopment and dependence in Black Africa: historical origin.” Journal of Peace Research 9, no. 2
• Valenzuela, J. Samuel and Arturo Valenzuela. 1978. “Modernization and dependency: alternative perspectives in the study of Latin American underdevelopment.” Comparative Politics 10 (4)
• Cardoso, F. H. and E. Faletto, 1979. “Preface to the English edition.” In Dependency and Underdevelopment in Latin America
Rodney, Walter, A.M Babu, and Vincent Harding. How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Washington, D.C.: Howard UP, 1981. Print.
Mignolo, W. D. (2005). The Idea of Latin America (pp. 1-94). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Mignolo, W. D. (2005). The Idea of Latin America (pp. 1-94). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Economic ways started in the nineteenth century, still have a hold on the countries of the sub-Sahara today. These countries are all impoverished and have seen horrific civil wars, however, the general consensus is that they are making slow improvements in their economy. The starvation, overpopulation and health problems are still very evident. Perhaps continued assistance coupled with education and protection will keep them on the road to stability and more rewarding lives for their citizens.
Priscilla. “The World Economy and Africa.” JSpivey – Home – Wikispaces. 2010. 29 January 2010. .
Wesson, Robert. Politics, Policies, and Economic Development in Latin America, Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, California, 1984
Clayton, Lawrence A. & Michael L. Conniff. A History of Modern Latin America. Harcourt Brace College Publishers. 1999.
Sywester, Kevin. Decolonization and economic growth: the case of Africa. Journal of economic development. December 2005. 30(2); p.89-91.
It is well known fact that poverty is an ongoing battle in Latin America and The Caribbean. According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean 167 million people live in poverty in the region (ECLAC). But another 66 million people will be living under extreme poverty (ECLAC). Although reports a gearing towards a decline in poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean these numbers are still grand. Many factors play into this situation. The blame put on the lack of education, lack of environmental resources, or economical declines, the list can go on. Are the governments in these regions doing enough to combat poverty with these issues on hand? Poverty will continue to be highly debated topic in these regions with little progress being seen. Even though there have been measures proposed and implemented to combat poverty. It seen as the old story being rewritten, the dynamics surrounding this issue by might be different. It can be said that poverty is not caused by one sole issue, when looking at the as a whole. But in everyday life economic problems of Latin America and the Caribbean can be seen as issues that can be solved separately. Although these issues can be examined separately and do affect individuals differently, these issues can be traced back to one another.
This chapter sheds light on this issue in the specific context of sub-Saharan Africa. This is of particular interest as African countries seek to trigger a strongly virtuous cycle of growth, which translates into genuine poverty reduction and human development.
The rise of development theory has been an interesting phenomenon. In the latter half of the 20th century, many theorists have tried to explain the origins of "under-development." The debate over the idea of development has been intense, and has led to the emergence of two contending paradigms: Modernization theory and dependency theory. Upon close investigation, one realizes that both theories are problematic. This paper is based on readings of Escobar, Martinussen, Cruise O'Brien, and Pieterse. The purpose of this paper is to chronicle the origins and growth of development discourse, and to show how both paradigms share three flaws: an economist approach to social change, and an ethnocentric and teleological worldview of development, and the perceived universal application of the West's development experience throughout the developing world.
The African continent is one of the biggest land masses on the planet. With its massive population, tremendous natural resources, and rich cultural history, one has to wonder why any country in the continent holds a third world status. The amount of corruption and poverty within many states in Africa is astounding, and in order to unearth the reasons for the state of many African nations today one must go back to the late nineteenth century to when Africa was partitioned by the major European powers of the time. By drawing arbitrary lines on a map of Africa, the western powers effectively changed the course of African history and set the stage for intense exploitation and domination of the African people. One could argue that the western powers have been doing so since the beginning of the slave trade, but that is not the focus of this analysis. This paper will focus on the impact of the nearly 100 years of colonial rule in Africa. It is my goal to prove that due to colonialism in Africa, political, social, and economic development was effectively delayed until most countries gained their freedom. And even from the 1960's on, the period where the majority of African states won independence, most African states have proven that they are still not truly independent, rather a good majority are still under the influence of neo-colonialism. There are some that prefer to also look at the positive aspects of colonialism, and that colonial governments did a lot to benefit Africans. It is my view, along with many others, that “Colonialism had only one hand – it was a one-armed bandit” (Rodney, 205)
There is no doubt that European colonialism has left a grave impact on Africa. Many of Africa’s current and recent issues can trace their roots back to the poor decisions made during the European colonial era. Some good has resulted however, like modern medicine, education, and infrastructure. Africa’s history and culture have also been transformed. It will take many years for the scars left by colonization to fade, but some things may never truly disappear. The fate of the continent may be unclear, but its past provides us with information on why the present is the way it is.
Modernization is the term used for the transition from the traditional society of the past to modern society as it is found today in the West. Modernization theory refers to a variety of non-Marxist perspectives which have been put forward to explain the development or underdevelopment of countries. Modernization theory is a model of economic and social development that explains global inequality in terms of differing levels of technological development among societies. Modernization theory presents the idea that by introducing modern methods in "technology, agricultural production for trade, and industrialization dependent on a mobile labour force," the underdeveloped countries will experience a strengthening in their economies. Modernization theory offers an account of the common features of the process of development drawing on the analysis of Durkheim and Weber. Development implies the bridging of these gaps by an imitative process, occurring in stages, such that traditional sectors and/or countries gradually assume the qualities of the 'modern' western countries. There are many proponents of Modernization Theory, such as, Walter Rostow, W.A. Lewis, Talcott Parsons, and Daniel Lerner, however the theory has it's roots in the ideas of Durkheim and Weber. The proponents of the modernization theory all felt that the rest of the world needed to look to the Western model of modernity and pattern their society like the West in order to progress. Modernization theory was developed as an alternative to the Marxist account of social development. Modernization Theory Divides the World into two kinds of societies: "modern" and "traditional." Traditional societies are backward looking : Dominated by religious a...
The new ideologies that emerged with the independence of African countries came with the thoughts of educated African elites. For the “British administrators…the educated Africans before whom he felt uneasy,” (Crowder 1964, 204) one could assume this was due to the