DS112 SEMINAR QUESTIONS
MODULE 1: THEORIES OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
1. What is development theory and why is the grasp of
development theories important for managing
development.
- Development theory is the negotiation that constitutes
improvement and what is appropriate according to class,
culture, historical context and relations of power. Each
theory has a historical, institutional and structural context
to seeking to understand a context-specific
problem and how to solve them, some of which include:
- Theories provide concepts and beliefs to understand and
interpret the world’s division of people according to their
class. Enables us to understand class struggles and how to
make the transition of a class from the poorer stage to a
better one, without exploiting them.
- Realise the importance to increase the wages and salaries
of workers, which will in turn positively affect demand in
internal markets;
- To allow the entrance of external capital following
priorities already established in national plans for
development;
- To develop a more effective coverage of social services
from the government, especially to impoverished sectors
in order to create conditions for those sectors to become
more competitive;
- To create a platform of investments, giving a preferential
role to national capitals
2. Why do the dependency theories stress the importance of
analysing the international political and economic system in
order to understand the state of development in the global
South?
The school assumes that development in the society can be
understood in connection with the world political economic
system
The economic and political interests of industrialized countries
determine development of the periphery countries. The
intervention of European powers in African social, economic
and political processes throughout the 19th C created a
situation of dependency and led to the impoverishment of
African people.
Developed economies have certain characteristics which
contrast with underdeveloped ones. The developed countries
are all industrialized. That is to say, the greater part of their
working population is engaged in industry rather than
agriculture, and most of their wealth comes out of mines,
factories, etc. They have a high output of labour per man in
industry because of their advanced technology and skills. This
is well known, but it is also striking that the developed
countries have a much more advanced agriculture than the rest
of the world. Their agriculture has already become an industry,
and the agricultural part of the economy produces more
although it is small. The countries of Africa, Asia and Latin
America are called agricultural countries because they rely on
agriculture and have little or no industry: but their agriculture
is unscientific and the yields are far less than those of the
developed countries.
3. The Neo-Marxist theories of development and
underdevelopment are very strong in diagnosing the
relationship between advanced capitalist countries and
underdeveloped countries but fall short in their prescription of
the way ahead. Discuss.
For economic development it is not enough to produce more
goods and services. The country has to produce more of those
goods and services which in turn will give rise spontaneously to
future growth in the economy. For example, the food-
producing sector must be flourishing so that workers would be
healthy, and agriculture on the whole must be efficient so that
the profits (or savings) from agriculture would stimulate
industry. Heavy industry, such as the steel industry and the
production of electrical power, must be present so that one is
capable of making machinery for other types of industry and
for agriculture. Lack of heavy industry, inadequate production
of food, unscientific agriculture – those, are all characteristics
of the underdeveloped economies.
It is typical of underdeveloped economies that they do not (or
are not allowed to concentrate on those sectors of the
economy which in turn will generate growth and raise
production to a new level altogether, and there are very few
ties between one sector and another so that (say) agriculture
and industry could react beneficially on each other.
Furthermore, whatever savings are made within the economy
are mainly sent abroad or are frittered away in consumption
rather than being redirected to productive purposes. Much of
the national income which remains within the country goes to
pay individuals who are not directly involved in producing
wealth but only in rendering auxiliary services-civil servants,
merchants, soldiers, entertainers, etc. What aggravates the
situation is that more people are employed in those jobs
than are really necessary to give efficient service; and to crown
it all these people do not reinvest in agriculture or industry.
They squander the wealth created by the peasants and workers
by purchasing cars, whisky and perfume.
