...African Journal of History and Culture Vol. 3(5), pp. 65-72, June 2011 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJHC ISSN 2141-6672 ©2011 Academic Journals Review A critique of modernization and dependency theories in Africa: Critical assessment J. Matunhu Department of Development Studies, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe. E-mail: matunhuj@msu.ac.zw. Accepted 6 April, 2011 The way states and development specialists rationalize how to commit economic resources to development is influenced, to a greater extent by their level of persuasion towards specific development theories. The discourse assesses the influence of modernization and dependency theories on Africa’s development. The conclusion is that both theories have failed to help develop Africa. The discourse pins hope on the African Renaissance theory of development. Key words: Modernization, dependency, rural underdevelopment, African renaissance. INTRODUCTION Africa houses plentiful economic resources. Paradoxically, the continent languishes in poverty as evidenced by high prevalence of famine, disease and ignorance (Buthelezi, 2007). This presentation attributes the poverty to theories of development because the way society deals with underdevelopment is influenced by development theories. The presentation assesses the effect of modernity and dependency theories on Africa’s development and concludes by recommending the adoption of the African Renaissance theory to Africa’s development. In this presentation...
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...Week 3: Dependency and Modernization Theory Key Concepts: Political decay/ failed state: Definition: A failed state is a state perceived as having failed at some of the basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government. In order to make this definition more precise, the following attributes, proposed by the Fund for Peace, are often used to characterize a failed state: * loss of control of its territory, or of the monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force therein, * erosion of legitimate authority to make collective decisions, * an inability to provide public services, and * an inability to interact with other states as a full member of the international community. * Often a failed state is characterized by social, political, and/or economic failure. Common characteristics of a failing state include a central government so weak or ineffective that it has little practical control over much of its territory; non-provision of public services; widespread corruption and criminality; refugees and involuntary movement of populations; and sharp economic decline. The level of government control required to avoid being considered a failed state varies considerably amongst authorities. Furthermore, the declaration that a state has "failed" is generally controversial and, when made authoritatively, may carry significant geopolitical consequences. Example: Modernization theory Discussion Question:In what ways has the first world...
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...High School Des Moines, IA Zimbabwe, Factor 7: Animal Agriculture Zimbabwe: Overcoming Hunger Through the Improvement of Agricultural Education and the Issue Over Social Inequality What is hunger? Many would probably say it is that mildly uncomfortable feeling that you get after not eating for a few hours. The majority of people use the phrase “I’m starving!” when they get this feeling. But what about the 805 million people in which “starving” means not knowing where their next meal is coming from. Agriculturalists and world food leaders now face a huge challenge: in feeding the 9 billion people who are projected to be on Earth by 2050 (Nat’l Geographic). Of the 196 sovereign countries in the world, 147 are considered underdeveloped and lack food security, Zimbabwe being one of them. Zimbabwe is located in the southern portion of Africa, surrounded by Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, and Mozambique, making it a land-locked state. Zimbabwe has a total land area of 390,757 square miles and is home to 13,771,721 people (CIA World Factbook). The land is composed of mostly high plateaus with mountains in the east. With a tropical climate, the country has rainy seasons between November and March but is currently suffering from an extensive drought due to unreliable rainfall. The frequent droughts that occur throughout the year make it especially hard for farmers, ranchers, and families who depend on sustainable agriculture as their main source of income. Despite the fact...
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...become the main obstacle to the underdeveloped countries, Rostow believes that for development to work, countries need to go through a certain process. Rostow argues that development should be seen as an evolutionary process in which countries progress ladder of five stages, stage one being at the bottom, i.e. societies which rely on subsidence farming and stage five being at the ultimate stage of development. However there are many countries which are not progressing naturally up this ladder of development, Item A tells us ‘all this was beyond the financial capacity of such countries and as a result a mountain of debt was built up as they were encouraged to catch up with the West’. This could be giving us the idea that in fact, these countries are being pushed into ‘catching up with the west’ getting themselves into debt which they can’t pay back, which is preventing them from moving their way up the ladder. This is the case for many countries with the exception to Tiger countries, many of these underdeveloped countries are remaining at stage one; this essay will assess the possible reasons for this lack of development. Many sociologists will suggest that the lack of development is because of the increase of debt. In 1980, the developing world owed the West $600 billion; however, by 1998 this had increased to $2.2 trillion. This is showing how much the developing world really was in debt. There are numerous reasons dependency theorists argue to as why the debt crisis has become such...
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...yearning issue, a substantial piece of individuals experience the ill effects of difficulty seeing, iron deficiency, undernourishment related issues and different diseases on the grounds that they are not sufficiently getting sustenance. The insights of appetite are disturbing. In the Asian, African and Latin American nations, well more than 500 million individuals are living in total neediness. The World Health Organization assesses that 33% of the world is decently encouraged; 33% is deprived while 33% is starving. As per UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one in twelve individuals worldwide are malnourished, including 160 million youngsters less than five years old. Almost one in four individuals, live on not exactly $1 every day. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, appraises that almost 870 million individuals, of the 7.1 billion individuals on the planet, were experiencing ceaseless undernourishment in 2010-2012. All the hungry individuals, 852 million, live in creating nations, speaking to 15 percent of the number of inhabitants in creating areas. There are 16 million individuals undernourished in created nations as reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO 2012). World...
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...human, political, sociocultural and protective spheres (OECD, 2006).This essay discusses the issue of poverty in Africa from colonial period to present day. The paper also analyses the causes of poverty since colonial era, the poverty alleviation strategies adopted to deal with poverty and propose possible solutions for poverty alleviation. A plethora of case studies will be drawn from several countries to substantiate the claims and insights provides in this paper. 2.0 Poverty, colonialism and Colonial Legacy Poverty is attributed to colonial legacy and how colonial rule marginalized the Africans in economic participation. In Africa, poverty is attributed to the economic activities of the colonial masters which exploited labour, natural resources and expropriated the continent while there was little plough back to citizen nations. A classical study by (Rodney, 1972) “How Europe Underdeveloped...
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...development. Development encompasses the advancement of agriculture, village and cottage industries, the socio-economic infrastructure, human resources, community services, human rights and the political environment. Phenomenally, development is the end result of the interactions between various physical, technological, economic, social, cultural and political institutional factors (Singh, 1999). The thrust of this paper is however, not on definition of terms but a chronicle of the modernization theory, its basic tenants and its critical appreciation in the development context of the third world countries. In development discourse the modernization movement of the 1950s and 1960s is an economic theory that is rooted in capitalism. The concept of modernization incorporates the full spectrum of the transition and drastic transformation that a traditional society has to undergo in order to become modern (Hussain et al., 1981). Modernization is about Africa following the developmental footsteps of Europe. According to modernity, policies intended to raise the standard of living of the poor often consist of disseminating knowledge and information about more efficient techniques of production. The modernization theory assumes a total change of policies intended to raise the standard of living of the poor often consist of disseminating knowledge and information about more efficient techniques of production. For instance , the agriculture modernization process involves encouraging farmers...
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...Hunger, a term used to describe extreme and painful cravings for food (2011 World Hunger, 2011). World hunger is still in an issue in the 21st century, extreme malnutrition largely exists within developing countries (FAO, 2010). FAO, The Food and Agriculture Organization, claims that world hunger has risen to 925 million (13.6% of world population) in 2010, this is caused by factors such as increased food prices and a worldwide economic crisis (FAO, 2010). Poverty is a chronic issue in under developed countries, many people could only afford little food but with the inflation of food prices, the hungry are getting hungrier (Estimating the Short, 2011). Many businesses in Africa are losing profit because the consumers cannot afford the products. The price of goods is rising due to expensive oil, lack of crops and climate change. Due to inflation of food prices, hunger is an increasing issue in under developed countries. “Figure 1.0: Different poverty levels (Global Issues, 2010) “Figure 1.0: Different poverty levels (Global Issues, 2010) Food price inflation has recently been a serious issue around the world. Many are feeling the impact, but those in poorer countries are getting hit the hardest (Estimating the Short, 2011).Within developing countries there is poverty and scarce resources. This is caused by such factors as bad government, low education and lack of health care (Global Issues, 2010).Poverty is a large issue within developing countries; many individuals can barely...
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...world’s poorest countries are at a competitive disadvantage in every sector of their economies. They have little to export. They have no capital; their land is of poor quality; they often have too many people given available work opportunities; and they are poorly educated. Free trade cannot possibly be in the interests of such nations! Discuss. Poor countries have no. of barriers for their national growth. Surrounding conditions make them more dependable upon other countries for their common needs. Characteristics of Poor Countries Low capital: Industries are not developed. Less investor is available. Source of income of citizens of poor countries are limited. They have less manufacturing units. Resources of country are underdeveloped or no developed:...
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...__________________________ World History Unit Two: Global Inequality [pic] An Overview of Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel Why do some nations have so much material wealth while so many others have so little? This was the question Jared Diamond posed in his book Guns, Germs, and Steel. After identifying a point in time when all societies were roughly equal (over 13,000 years ago), Diamond identified the key variables that allowed some societies to develop highly complex, material-rich societies, while others developed at much slower rates. Guns, Germs, and Steel uncovers how Europeans came to dominate every other group on the planet by virtue of their access to what Diamond terms the “Agents of Conquest”: Guns, Germs, and Steel. Jared Diamond’s journey of discovery began on the island of Papua, New Guinea. There, in 1974, a local named Yali asked Diamond a deceptively simple question: "Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo (material goods), but we black people had little cargo (material goods) of our own?" Diamond realized that Yali's question penetrated the heart of a great mystery of human history -- the roots of global inequality. Why were Europeans the ones with all the cargo? Why had they taken over so much of the world, instead of the native people of New Guinea? How did Europeans end up with what Diamond terms the Agents of Conquest: Guns, Germs and Steel? It was...
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...Cape Verde | “Most Improved Country” | | Introduction Cape Verde is a small country that spans ten islands and is 570 kilometers off the coast of Western Africa. There is very little rainfall per year and the land on most of the islands are of volcanic origin. On several of the islands the land is fairly flat, sandy and dry, whereas the rest of the islands are covered in rocky land. It, therefore, lacks in natural resources and has experienced severe droughts. Agriculture is made difficult by lack of rain and is restricted to only four islands for most of the year. It is ironic that the country is called “Verde” meaning “Green,” even though most of the land is not green. Due to the scarcity of agriculture, most of the nation's GDP comes from the service industry; more specifically tourism, light manufacturing industries, and fisheries. Cape Verde's economy has been steadily growing since the late 1990s, and it is now officially considered a country of average development. Through an economic analysis of Cape Verde, we will see the connections between its economy, society, and government. The analysis will recognize not only the flaws and struggles of the country, but will pose possible solutions to its problems. Government: Past and Present Learning about a country’s government is essential to figuring out their economic details. Uninhabited on their discovery in 1456, the Cape Verde islands became part of the Portuguese empire in 1495. Portuguese people began establishing...
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...FACTORS AFFECTING SMALL SCALE VEGETABLE FARMERS ACCESS TO CREDITS AT ETUNDA IRRIGATION PROJECT IN NORTHERN NAMIBIA. SELMA N. INGULA 26 OCTOBER 2012 Factors affecting small scale vegetable farmers access to credits at Etunda irrigation project in Northern Namibia. BY: Selma N. Ingula Project report submitted to the University of Namibia, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Department of Agricultural Economics in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Diploma in Agriculture. Project Assessment Board | | | | | | |Supervisor (s): | | |MR. B. THOMAS & | | |MS. B. MUDAMBURI | | [pic] UNIVERSITY OF NAMIBIA, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND EXTENSION, UNAM OGONGO CAMPUS Receipt Confirmation Signatures |Chairperson:……………………… | | | ...
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...What is the role of institutions according to North? How far does this theory go towards explaining the contours of world development in the pre-modern growth era? Maddison (2006) stated that he “would characterise the whole period 1000-1820 as ‘protocapitalist’”. He believes the transition from pre-modern to modern economic growth took place at around 1820. This will set the stage for this discussion. Within that period, there were two groups of countries which were differentiated by their deviation in economic growth. They were the Group A nations, which included Western Europe, Western Offshoots and Japan, while the rest of the world made up the Group B nations. The contours of world development in this era, largely shaped by Douglass North’s theory of institutions, can be categorise into two main subsets which are Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita and population demographics, for the purpose of this essay. North (1990) defines institutions as “the rules of the game in a society or, more formally, are the humanly devised constraints that shape human action”. Institutions exist in every economy, in the form of either formal or informal constraints, developed to define the choice sets, within which individuals and organisations make their decisions. Economic growth is heavily dependent on the productivity of an economy, which in turn is affected by the costs involved. In the neoclassical world of complete information, the gains of trade are only negated by the costs...
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...European Scientific Journal January 2013 edition vol.9, No.1 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 AGRICULTURE FINANCING AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA Obansa S. A. J. Departments of Economics University of Abuja I. M. Maduekwe Departments of Economics and Agric. Economics Department University of Abuja Abstract The importance of agricultural surplus for the structural transformation accompanying economic growth is often stressed by development economists. This lead to the question: Does agriculture financing matters in the growth process? To this end, the need to investigate the impact of agriculture financing on economic growth appears more imperative for Nigeria. This paper employed secondary data and some econometric techniques such as Ordinary Least Square (OLS); Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) unit root test; Granger Causality test. The results of the various models used suggest that there is bidirectional causality between economic growth and agriculture financing; and there is bidirectional causality between economic growth and agricultural growth. It further suggests that productivity of investment will be more appropriately financed with foreign direct private loan, share capital, foreign direct investment and development stocks. And also capital-output ratio will be more appropriate financed with multilateral loan, domestic savings, Treasury bill, official development assistant, foreign direct investment and development stock. It is recommended that maintenance...
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...report many historical and contemporary examples have been presented. The report also contains recommendations made by the group with regards to what needs to be done to overcome this problem. INTRODUCTION A tribe is a group of individuals who possess a common ancestry, language, culture and sometimes-geographical area. Kenya boasts of 42 indigenous tribes spread across the country. Tribalism is the selfish use of this commonness to deny or dispossess others who are not of the same tribe of their rights and access to opportunities and resources in society. It is the act of favouring those from one’s tribe be it in social, public or economic decisions and discriminating against all others solely on the basis of their ethnic identity. In African societies today, tribalism has been elevated to dominate national discourse, controls how people think and talk, and determines what they oppose or support. It is promoted by the political elites, embraced by the young and the old, passed from generation to generation and has been an effective tool is controlling...
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