study guide questions Flashcards
World Systems Theory
World Systems Theory is an idea that explains how countries are connected in a global system of economic power.
It was developed by sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein in the 1970s.
Core countries: Rich, powerful, and highly industrialized countries like the U.S. or Germany.
Semi-peripheral countries: Countries that are not as rich as core countries but are more developed than peripheral ones, like Brazil or India.
Peripheral countries: Poor countries that rely on selling raw materials and don’t have a lot of industrial development, like many in Africa or parts of Latin America.
what is neoliberalism
political-economic ideology that is attemptin to imporve human well being by promoting self interest.
- says that no government intervention in the ecobomy similar to what adam smith said
- they say privatization, and marketization
who were the leaders of neoliberalism
thatcher and reagan
what is an example of neoliberalism?
The structural adjustment programs in Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe etc.), Latin America (Bolivia, Mexico etc.)
Participatory Action Development
This concept generally refers to a development approach that emphasizes active involvement and collaboration between community members and researchers, practitioners, or organizations. It focuses on:
Participation: Engaging local communities in identifying problems and solutions, ensuring that their voices are central to the development process.
Action: Moving beyond theory by implementing practical solutions that address the identified issues within the community.
Development: Aimed at improving social, economic, and environmental conditions based on the community’s needs and desires.
Assets based
is an approach that focuses on identifying and leveraging the strengths and resources within a community, rather than focusing solely on its problems or deficiencies. Here’s a breakdown:
Focus on strengths: The approach emphasizes the existing skills, knowledge, networks, and resources that people within the community already possess.
Empowerment: By highlighting these assets, the community is empowered to take charge of its own development and use its own resources to create positive change.
Collaboration: It promotes collaboration among community members, organizations, and other stakeholders to build on these strengths and address needs.
what is deficit based?
Deficit-based development is an approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the problems, weaknesses, or deficiencies within a community or group. It contrasts with asset-based development, which focuses on strengths and resources. Here’s a breakdown:
Focus on problems: This approach concentrates on the gaps, challenges, or shortcomings within the community, such as poverty, lack of education, or insufficient resources.
External solutions: It often involves bringing in external experts or resources to solve these identified problems, with less emphasis on local input or empowerment.
Dependency: Because it focuses on what is lacking, deficit-based development can sometimes lead to dependency on outside help, rather than building the community’s own capacity to address issues.
what is post development
critiques the idea of “development” as it has been traditionally understood, particularly in the context of Western models of economic growth, industrialization, and modernization. This theory suggests that:
Development is a Western construct: The concept of “development” often reflects Western values and priorities, which may not be suitable or desirable for all cultures or societies.
Rejection of progress-oriented development: Post-development advocates for the rejection of linear, progress-oriented views of development. It questions the assumption that all societies should follow the same path of development as Western nations.
Emphasizes local knowledge and self-determination: It stresses the importance of local cultures, traditions, and ways of life, and advocates for more self-determined forms of social and economic organization that don’t rely on external definitions of development.
what is anti-development
is a perspective that opposes traditional development practices, particularly those focused on economic growth and Westernization. It critiques the idea that all societies should follow the same path of development, arguing that it often leads to exploitation, inequality, and the destruction of local cultures and environments. Anti-development supports alternative, localized, and sustainable ways of organizing society.
Structural Adjustment
involves economic policies that countries must follow to get loans from the IMF or World Bank. These often include cutting public spending, privatizing state-owned businesses, opening up markets, and devaluing the currency. While aimed at boosting the economy, they can lead to poverty and inequality.
what is dependency theory?
the idea that poor countries are dependent on rich ones for resources, trade ets the idea that poor countries are dependent on wealthy countries for resources, trade, and economic development. It argues that historical factors, like colonialism, created an unequal global system where rich countries (the “core”) exploit poor countries (the “periphery”), keeping them in a state of underdevelopment. This dependency makes it difficult for poorer countries to break free and develop on their own.
Andre Gunder Frank
Main idea: Dependency Theory & World Systems Theory
Implication: Metropolis-satellite model
Gunder Frank promoted Dependency Theory and World Systems Theory after 1970. He focused on how wealthy countries (metropolises) exploit poorer countries (satellites).
Raul Prebisch
Main idea: Dependency Theory
Implication: Prebisch-Singer hypothesis
Prebisch developed the Prebisch-Singer hypothesis, explaining how the global economic system keeps poor countries dependent on rich countries.
Samir Amin
ain idea: Dependency & World Systems Theories
Implication: Eurocentrism
Back:
Samir Amin linked dependency and world-systems theories. He is noted for introducing “Eurocentrism,” arguing that the global system benefits the West at the expense of other cultures.
Dos Santos
Main idea: Dependency Theory
Implication: Economic dependency between countries
Back:
Dos Santos described dependency as a situation where poor countries rely on the economic activities of richer nations for their own survival and development.
Traditional (Mechanical) vs Modern (Organic) Solidarity
What is the difference?
Mechanical Solidarity (Traditional): Found in small, traditional societies where people have similar beliefs, values, and tasks. Solidarity comes from the shared way of life and moral consensus.
Organic Solidarity (Modern): Found in large, complex societies. People perform specialized tasks, and solidarity comes from interdependence and the division of labor, where each person relies on others for different roles.
Émile Durkheim who is he?
Famous for: Founding modern sociology.
Main ideas: Social solidarity (mechanical vs. organic), the role of society in shaping individuals, and the study of social facts.
Key work: His study on suicide and how social factors influence behavior
Max Weber
What were his main ideas?
Society should be explained in its own terms, not with general models.
Focused on how religion and culture shape economic development (Protestant ethics and capitalism).
Believed traditional societies failed to develop because they were guided by myths and customs.
Theory: Modernization Theory and Cultural Process of Rationalization
W. Rostow
What were his main ideas?
rgued that economies move through five stages of growth:
Traditional society
Preconditions for takeoff
Takeoff
Drive to maturity
High mass consumption
Theory: Non-Communist Manifesto and Preconditions for “take-off.”
John Freidman
What were his main ideas?
Believed development should focus on people, emphasizing participation, collaboration, and equity.
Advocated for Sustainable Development (bottom-up approach), where development comes from the people.
Charles Darwin
What were his main ideas?
Known for his contributions to the theory of evolution through natural selection.
Theory: Origin of Species, which changed the understanding of biological development over time.
Amartya Sen
What were his main ideas?
Indian economist and philosopher.
Focused on welfare economics, social choice theory, and human rights-based approaches.
Believed in increasing individuals’ freedoms and capabilities.
Theory: Human development through increasing freedoms.
Hugo Grotius
What were his main ideas?
16th–17th century “Father of International Law.”
Argued that uncultivated land could be legally occupied based on natural law.
Theory: Foundations of international law.
Front:
Immanuel Wallerstein
What were his main ideas?
Sociologist and economic historian.
Developed the World Systems Theory, explaining how global development is interconnected.
Theory: Development depends on external factors and how countries are interconnected.
Implication: Development of Canada depends on other countries’ development.
Macro/Grand vs Middle-range vs Micro level
Macro/Grand: Big picture, society-wide analysis (e.g., structural issues).
Middle-range: Focus on specific aspects or processes of society (e.g., crime, education).
Micro: Small-scale, individual or small group interactions (e.g., personal behavior).
Macro/Grand Level: Focuses on large-scale social processes (e.g., society, economy, politics). Example: studying global inequality.
Middle-range Level: Focuses on specific social phenomena within a society (e.g., crime rates, education). Example: Strain Theory in criminology.
Micro Level: Focuses on individual behavior and small-group interactions (e.g., daily interactions, relationships). Example: Symbolic Interactionism.
modernization theory
is the idea that countries develop in stages, moving from traditional to modern societies. It suggests that with the right policies, such as industrialization and economic growth, poorer countries can eventually reach the level of developed nations. The theory emphasizes the importance of Western values and practices in driving development.
Post-modernism & Post-structuralism
Post-modernism challenges the idea of absolute truth, arguing that reality is subjective and shaped by culture and language. It emphasizes diversity, relativism, and questions traditional narratives.
Post-structuralism focuses on how language and social structures influence meaning. It rejects fixed meanings, suggesting that interpretations are fluid and ever-changing.
Keynesian Policies
are economic strategies based on the ideas of economist John Maynard Keynes. They focus on government intervention to manage economic cycles. Key aspects include:
Government Spending: During economic downturns, the government should increase spending to boost demand and reduce unemployment.
Monetary Policy: Lowering interest rates to encourage borrowing and investment.
Deficit Spending: Running a budget deficit in the short term to stimulate economic growth.
The goal is to smooth out economic booms and busts and ensure stable, full employment.
Marxism
What is it?
The political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
Focuses on class struggle and the idea of overthrowing capitalism to establish communism.
Emphasizes replacing private ownership with cooperative ownership.
Neo-Marxism
What is it?
A 20th-century extension of Marxism.
Incorporates elements from other intellectual traditions (e.g., critical theory, psychoanalysis, existentialism).
Expands on Marxist theory, addressing new societal issues.
Marx’s Stages of Development
What are the stages?
Karl Marx’s theory of economic evolution includes five stages:
Primitive
Ancient
Feudal
Modern Capitalist
Socialist
Communist
Front:
1950s-60s Development Theories
What were the main ideas?
Back:
Focus on Modernization and Structuralist theories.
Countries were encouraged to follow the Western model of development
Late 1960s Development Theory
What were the main ideas?
Rise of Radical Dependency Theory.
Focused on how poor countries were exploited by wealthy Northern countries.
Front:
1970s Development Theory
What were the main ideas?
Critique of Modernization Theory for being ethnocentric and biased.
Focus on Voices from the Periphery, highlighting marginalized voices in development.
Front:
1980s Development Theory
What were the main ideas?
World Systems Theory and Neo-liberalism emerge.
Emphasis on sustainable development, gender & development, and local cultures.
front:
1990s-2000s Development Theory
What were the main ideas?
Focus on Sustainable Development, Post-development, and Anti-development.
Emphasis on globalization and grassroots approaches to development.
Nandy
Indian social theorist.
Critiques development and colonialism.
Advocates for indigenous knowledge and traditions as alternatives to Western development models.
Constantino:
Filipino historian and scholar.
Focused on the history of colonialism in the Philippines.
Criticized the development agenda as a continuation of colonial exploitation.
kothari
Kothari:
Indian activist and scholar.
Known for his critiques of development.
Advocates for more grassroots and local participation in development processes.
Arturo Escobar
Colombian anthropologist.
Criticized development as a tool for cultural imperialism.
Advocates for “post-development” and the promotion of local knowledge and alternatives to Western-style development.
Gustavo Esteva:
Mexican activist and scholar.
A leader in the “post-development” movement.
Focuses on alternatives to modern development, advocating for local, community-led approaches.
Majid Rahnema
Iranian scholar and critic of traditional development models.
Known for promoting “alternative development” focused on community empowerment and local solutions.
Gilbert Rist:
Swiss academic and critic of development.
Focused on the history of development and how it has been used to control and exploit the Global South.
Argues for rethinking development in more inclusive and sustainable terms.
Serge Latouche:
French economist and philosopher.
Criticizes the pursuit of economic growth and advocates for “de-growth,” a movement promoting sustainable living and the reduction of over-consumption.
Wolfgang Sachs:
German scholar known for his criticism of development.
Focuses on the social, environmental, and cultural consequences of development, particularly in the Global South.
Majid Rahnema:
Iranian scholar and critic of traditional development models.
Known for promoting “alternative development” focused on community empowerment and local solutions.
