Week 4b - The Developmentalist Miracle

Question 1

Developmentalism: “A Miracle in the
South”

Answer 1

There was a moment of time during the early years of
heavy decolonization (1950s to 1970s) wherein many
countries in the developing world adopted a Keynesian
model of economic development.
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 The developmentalist state used the power of
government to spur development

Question 2

Import Substitution

Answer 2

 Subsidies of infant industries (to give them a chance to
compete with foreign competition), high tariffs on foreign goods (to reduce expensive imports of Western manufactured goods), limits on foreign ownership of national assets, restrictions on repatriation of profits… and quite often land reform (Hickel 106)
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 Resources were then shifted into domestic manufacturing (P. McMichael 51)
-once you become independent, the question of redistributing these things come up. after the war in zarambe, it was absolutely opposed

Question 3

Developmentalism: “A Miracle in the
South”

Answer 3

It worked.
oIncomes grew, living standards improved and the gap
between the rich and the poor narrowed for the first time
since 1492. (Hickel 101, 107)
-gap closing of development happening
oThe wealth gap in Latin America shrank by 22 percent.
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oInfant mortality and literacy rates improved.
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oLife expectancy grew by 20 years (the fastest period of
improvement in human history - Hickel 107)
-part of why that happens is colonial powers didn’t do much. they were producing mal nutrition. dramatic changes happen. massive success in this period of time. relatively brief optimistic time. in a very organized way. sounds conspiratorial. you can track every single ruler that had these policies and track their disappearance. they are assassinated and against enemies. brief moment of time. change is possible moment of time where things did happen

Question 4

Developmentalism vs. Neoliberalism

Answer 4

It is worth noting at this juncture that each one of these policies are diametrically opposed to the neoliberal policies that have been pushed ever since… but which have not worked.
-completely opposed. neoliberalism becomes hegemonic in the west. free trade principles. what big business does well. essentially every single - people actually did what they were told, they have been worst off. pretty important distinction in class. government got involved in trying to help local people. GMP gone up. Rodney doesn’t care. Life expectancy went up. more healthcare, more education. neoliberalism complete opposite. this reversal was not 200 years ago. there were people who lived through these assassinations. developmentalism is actually how the US got wealthy. government involvement in all industries so we tell a story of - we amplify that story. even though its not how power happened.
• In addition, government led economic policy more closely
resembles the actual policies that Western countries used to grow their economies as well (Hickel 106)
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Question 5

A Moment of Autonomy and Independence

Answer 5

 a wave of democratic regimes sweep out US-backed puppet regimes. (Hickel 104-5)
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• The Non-Aligned Movement emerges to chart a path of
independence in the Cold War and to oppose Western or Soviet intervention. Founded by the presidents of Ghana, Egypt, India, Yugoslavia and Indonesia, it was joined by nearly every country of the global South.
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• Eventually, they formed the G77 and then UNCTAD to push for fairer trade policy internationally. (Hickel 107)
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