Development Theory

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"The city in newly developing countries is a study in contrast of old and new, survivals of rural past and innovations from the West. This mixture is apparent not only in what one sees, but also within the inhabitants of such cities." (Breese,1969) In the discussion of whether modern societies do represent "progress" over traditional societies, we go back to the one of the earliest foundations of the modernization theory. To enumerate briefly, a traditional society is commonly described as "primitive", "backward", having "rigid social structures" and whose economies are limited to "rural and agricultural levels." These characteristics are said to have a disadvantageous effect upon the development of a society. After WWII, when the gap between developed and under-developed countries were seen to be widening, solutions were proposed by social scientists in order to effect economic improvements or to elevate the status of the said traditional societies into the economies of modern societies. In accordance to Rostow's stage theory, there are five stages of economic development in which a traditional society passes through, following the same pattern that the West has undergone:1) traditional society or subsistence economy 2) transition stage as pre-conditions for take-off where specialization generates trade surplus and mechanisms are created to support trade and investment, 3) take-off stage where industrialization grows rapidly and a more stable political and social environment is in place for sustainable trade, 4) drive to maturity where technological information creates diverse products and services for investment opportunities, lessening the need for imports and 5) age of high mass consumption where consumer durable industr... ... middle of paper ... ... Moore was keen on replacing the tem "newly developing country with "modernizing country" which is defined as "the total transformation of a tradition or pre-modern society into the types of technology and associated social organization that characterize the "advanced: economically prosperous, and relatively politically stable nations of the Western World (Moore, 1963:89) "It sees the teeming, sweltering warrens, where only the poorest dwell, adjoining luxurious villas where the only noise comes from an air-conditioner or splashing in a pool. It sees the sidewalk vendor in front of the Kingsway air-conditioned department store. It sees the newly arrived young migrant as he clambers down from atop a lorry load of vegetables, windblown and thirsty form the ride that has brought him to the city, wondering just where and how to start making his way." (Breese,1969

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