Midterm prep: The Development of Underdevelopment, Andre Gunder Frank Flashcards
What is the main argument of “The Development of Underdevelopment”?
The underdevelopment of certain countries is not a result of a lack of development, but rather a result of their relationships with developed countries.
What is the definition of underdevelopment?
A condition in which a country is not utilizing its resources to their fullest potential
What is the definition of development?
A process of growth or advancement that improves living standards.
What is dependency theory?
A theory that suggests that certain countries are underdeveloped because they are dependent on developed countries for resources and markets.
What is imperialism?
The economic and political control of one country over another.
What is neocolonialism?
A new form of colonialism in which developed countries continue to exploit the resources of underdeveloped countries.
“Neocolonialism” is a term used by Frank to describe a new form of imperialism that developed in the post-World War II era. According to Frank, neocolonialism is a continuation of colonialism in which Western capitalist nations continue to exploit and control the economies of former colonies by maintaining their economic dependence on the West.
What are the mechanisms that neocolonialism operates trhough?
Frank argues that neocolonialism operates through a variety of mechanisms, including
debt,
multinational corporations,
and aid,
all of which serve to maintain the global economic hierarchy that benefits the developed world at the expense of underdeveloped nations.
What is the role of international trade in underdevelopment?
International trade is often structured to benefit developed countries at the expense of underdeveloped countries.
What is the role of foreign investment in underdevelopment?
Foreign investment is often structured to benefit developed countries at the expense of underdeveloped countries.
What is the role of multinational corporations in underdevelopment?
Multinational corporations often exploit resources and labor in underdeveloped countries for the benefit of developed countries.
What is the role of debt in underdevelopment?
Debt often results in underdeveloped countries being forced to repay loans at high interest rates, which hinders their ability to develop.
What is the role of aid in underdevelopment?
Aid is often used as a means of control over underdeveloped countries, and can perpetuate underdevelopment.
What is the “vicious circle of underdevelopment”?
A cycle in which underdeveloped countries are unable to develop due to the exploitation of their resources and labor by developed countries.
Based on Frank’s analysis, some of the key reasons why some parts of the world are rich and others are poor include:
Continuing economic and other relations between satellite underdeveloped regions and the now developed metropolitan countries.
The development of the nation and other subordinate metropoles is limited by their satellite status.
Satellites experience their greatest development when their ties to the metropolis are weakest.
When satellite regions are brought into the metropolis, their previous development and industrialization is choked off or channeled into directions which are not self-perpetuating and promising.
The regions that are the most underdeveloped and feudal seeming today are the ones which had the closest ties to the metropolis in the past, and were the greatest exporters of primary products.
The latifundium was born as a commercial enterprise, which created for itself the institutions that permitted it to respond to the increased demand in the world or national markets by expanding the amount of its land, capital, and labor and to increase the supply of its products.
