Modernisation theories:

Modernisation theories:

1. Classic modernisation theories

   • Rostows stages of economic growth
     • development defined as economic growth in stages
     • each society is located in 1 of the 5 stages
       • stages can be used to predict and identify where a certain country is in their course of development. model based on european development
     • became popular in the 50s
     • 'The stages of economic growth: a non-communist manifesto'
     • 1. traditional society
       • primitive technologies, spiritual attitudes, limited scope for technology/productivity, economies: agricultural, hierarchical social structure, belief in fatalism
     • 2. precondition for takeoff
       • modern science: new areas of production, Britain= first to develop these pre-conditions, spread of ideas/progress/competition/expansion of education
     • 3. Take off
       • stimulus= mainly technological, but political context favourable to modernisation is also necessary
     • 4. Drive to Maturity
       • modern/innovative technology spread across all areas of economic activity, 10-20% of NI is invested and growth outstrips any increase in population
     • 5. age of high mass consumption
       • consumer goods and services, income increasing to a level permitting a large number of people to consume at levels far in excess of their needs, structure of work force= urban skilled and office types, US=1920s, W Europe 1950s
     • criticised for permitting the imposition of western economic and political systems onto the south
       • also development is about more than just economics
     • encounters between west and developing countries are mainly economic and political in nature
       • serving interests of the North
     • modernisation is the oppostie of tradtionalism
     • In order to develop need to give up traditional aspects of society
     • Reading: Dr Gow, Simon Bromley, Peet, W. Rostow,

2. started to accumulate in academic arena of the Cold War. USA and USSR triying to promote their own vales ad interests in developing countries. This translates into aid policies. USA defined development as a certain kind of growth reflecting its own political-economic system

3. Neomodernisation theories:

   • Post cold war: modernisation theory is reinvented as neo-modernisation in post cold war and neoliberal period. fukuyamas 'end of history' thesis- influenced by this view, major reinventions of modernisation theories since 1980s
   • World Banks Washington Consensus: John Williamson 'Washington Consensus' 1990
     • a consensus among global managers and policy makers favouring market based strategies, recommendations include SAPs, loans with conditionalities, fiscal discipline and trade liberalisations, privatisation and deregulation, criticised as being top down- one size fits all. allows the west to promote their system
     • taken and used as the policies advocated by the IMF and WB and US treasury
   • Bush Doctrine since 9/11
     • uses fukuyama to articulate a neo-modernist conception of democracy. Democracy promoting as a key factor in Foreign policy. Informed the way the Us thinks about aid
     • democracy: no other ideology and economic system can challenge capitalism and democracy, democracy promotion as US Governments foreign policy agenda under neo-cons. Bush doctrine: US modernities lead society; humanitarianism and uses military to foster liberal transfomration
   • Multiple modernities:
     • moving away from the West, de-westernise, e.g. G20s Seoul consensus 2010- encouraging countries to focus on private investment, human resource development, food security etc.
     • realised developments is not always based on western model. the financial crisis has shown how fallible the system is, emphasising the history and background of developing countries
     • e.g. Majority of the North does not have the history of colonisation that many countries in the south have
   • reading: Richard Sakwa