“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
Mignolo, W. D. (2005). The Idea of Latin America (pp. 1-94). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Burns, E. B., & Charlip, J. A. (2007). Latin America: an interpretive history (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Burns, E. B., & Charlip, J. A. (2007). Latin America: an interpretive history (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Mercedes Gonzalez de la Rocha and Barbara B. Gantt Latin American Perspectives, Vol. 22, No.
Mignolo, W. D. (2005). The Idea of Latin America (pp. 1-94). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Priscilla. “The World Economy and Africa.” JSpivey – Home – Wikispaces. 2010. 29 January 2010. .
It is thought-provoking, in the sense that Africa’s need for foreign created a race to the bottom, much like what Pietra Rivoli described in The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy. Due to some African states’ reliance on foreign aid in order to mine and profit on their resources, they allow business standards to be lowered and for Chinese firms to tip the contracts moresoever in the favor of Chinese firms. This lowers the potential earnings of African states by lowering royalty rates, for example. Additionally, Burgis’ research was thorough and transparent. When he did not receive a response or if his questions were dodged, he made it obvious to the readers. Sure, some could view this book as too anecdotal to be used as a credible source of Africa’s situation. However, this is due to the nature of the system Burgis is writing about; after all, they are shadow states for a reason. Some readers will be saddened by this text, others angry, most curious to learn more, but above all, everyone will be intellectually stimulated and
Clayton, Lawrence A. & Michael L. Conniff. A History of Modern Latin America. Harcourt Brace College Publishers. 1999.
The rich prosper and the poor struggle to survive. Citizens in developed nations, such as Canada, do not usually think about developing African nations and their problems. Those fortunate enough to have a steady income cannot imagine how other developing countries or other people have so little when they possess so much. Thus, the question arises, what challenges are developing African countries experiencing as they struggle to improve their standards of living? In order, to answer this question, it is essential to consider the adult literacy rates, the population infected with diseases, and the debts of developing countries.
1 Moore, Robin J., "Imperial India, 1858-1914", in Porter, Andrew, Oxford History of the British Empire: The Nineteenth Century, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2001a, p.422-446,
The catalytic factors which brought this phenomenon to life in Africa are imprinted in the history of African states. Following the attainment of political independence by many African countries in the 1960s, there were expectations that Africa would develop and achieve political and economic stability. The exhilaration that independence brought had barely settled when the hope for these expectations started to fade. Since their existence as independent states most African countries have grappled with visionless leadership from authoritarian regimes, characterised by flagrant abuse of democratic values, fundamental human rights, the rule of law, equality and political legitimacy. As a result, citizens have been exposed to pitiable conditions brought into being by rising poverty which eventually leads to a cycle of armed ethnic conflicts and civil wars among other crises .
Matunhu J.2011. A critique of modernisation and dependency theories in Africa: Critical Assessment, African Journal of History and Culture, 3(5), http://www.acedicjournals.org/AJ . Last Accessed(26-04-2014).
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney, was one of the most controversial books in the world at the time of its release. The book seeks to argue that European exploitation and involvement in Africa throughout history. This is the cause of current African underdevelopment, and the true path to the development is for Africa to completely sever her ties with the international capitalist economy. Rodney describes his goal in writing the book in the preface: “this book derives from a concern with the contemporary African situation. It delves into the past only because otherwise it would be impossible to understand how the present came into being and what the trends are for the near future” (vii). Rodney writes from a distinctly Marxist perspective by arguing that the inequalities inherent in European capitalism and required exploitation of certain countries in order to sustain capitalism.
Why with years of outside encouragement are most African nations still underdeveloped and at a standstill for progression? In the classic book, Democracy and Development in Africa, Claude Ake examines the two terms in the title and what they mean for the countries of Africa. Authoritarian rule, racism, and sheer ignorance to the African culture are where Claude Ake claims the problems for Africa’s developmental issues.
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.