Development Theories

Development Theories

1. Dependency Theory- Andre Frank 1871

   • Suggests countries become more dependent on more powerful, frequently colonial powers due to interaction and development
   • As the more powerful country exploits the resources of the weaker colony, the colony becomes more dependent
     • Frank describes this as development of the underdevelopment
   • Problem for underdeveloped countries not that they lack resources, institutions or development but are exploited by developed countries
   • North South Divide- developed world keeps developing world poor so they can exploit cheap resources
     • Aid, debt and trade patterns reinforce dependency
   • Incorporates politics and economics into explanation
     • Considers historical process of underdevelopment and believes poor countries need to set goals relative to their resources, needs and values
   • Largely economic theory from Western perspective- less outcome of development as form of economic determinism
     • Another layer needed to incorporate the BRICs
     • Rise of NIC's and Asian Tigers seems to argue against theory as they did develop
     • Theory does not allow developing countries to have a say in their own development
   • CASE STUDY-BRITISH EMPIRE

2. Modernisation Theory- Walter Rostow 1960

   • Suggests societies develop in a linear, five stage process
   • The model shows how a country moves from relative underdevelopment to a state of high mass consumption
   • Countries 'take-off' and develop when pre-conditions are met
     • Industrialisation follows creating trade, jobs and consumers
   • Based on that idea a society will slowly modernise and those with the most technology will become superpowers
   • Not all countries that develop become democracies- China
     • Model is incompatible with most community countries
     • Many countries borrowed heavily and invested money into projects to meet Rostow's pre conditions but failed to develop and ended up in debt e.g. Mexico

3. World Systems Theory- Emmanuel Walenstein 1974

   • Sees the world as a single unit and believes that development must be seen as part of an overall economy, not country by country
   • Believes countries are split into 3 tiers, core, periphery and semi-periphery
   • Semi periphery countries are broadly equivalent to NIC's that developed in 1970's
     • Process allows semi-periphery countries to be involved in developing process
   • Explains the growth of China from an agricultural to an industrial state
   • Doesn't take into account conflict or country by country situations
     • More of a description of the world today than an exploration of it