Week 11 Sociology of Developing Societies

Caroline Wright

Lecture Outline
Defining Development Labelling & Mapping Development Theorizing Development Development as Modernization Development as Dependency Development as Capability Development as Sustainability Development Aid Structural Adjustment

Development Targets
What is Post-Development?

Defining Development
WHAT IS IT? Economic growth, modernization, industrialization Increase in human capability A myth INDICATORS Increased GNP; increased GNP/capita Increased life expectancy, health, opportunities, wellbeing, security Growing inequalities, unsustainability, nonviable national economies, conflict, war

 When I think of the word development I think of

more industries, more cities, pollution, uprootedness, organized violence (Ashis Nandy , author, in Seabrook, 1993, p. 225).
The North in our South is trying to catch up with the

West; and the notion of development which they promote plays havoc with our people and our natural resources (Swami Agniveshi, President of Bonded Labour Liberation Front, India, ibid, p. 245).
Development was originally a Western promise to the

South, designed to counter the danger of socialism (Anisur Rahman, cited in ibid, p. 8).

 Development is a western economic ideology, the

modern civilizing mission, the new colonialism (ibid, pp. 8-9, p. 18)
Development is no more than a myth which helps

underdeveloped countries to conceal their misfortune and developed countries to soothe their conscience (de Rivero, 2010, p. 2).
Change cannot be considered as development unless

it is equitable (McGillivray, 2008, p. 38 core reading).

De Rivero, Oswaldo (2010) The Myth of Development: Non-viable economies and the crisis of civilization, London, New York: Zed Press Seabrook, Jeremy (1993) Victims of Development: Resistance and Alternatives, London, New York: Verso

Labelling and Mapping Development

Coldwar Geopolitics First World: Developed, Capitalist, industrial countries aligned with US Second World: Former communistsocialist industrial countries aligned with Soviet Union Third World: All other non-aligned countries Problems Hierarchical Crude relationship to development [Fourth World: Widely unknown First Nations, indigenous peoples living within or across countries]

Alternative Labels of Development

Developed-Undeveloped
Developed Developing More Economically Developed/

Less Economically Developed

North-South Minority World-Majority

World

HDI Mapping of Development

World Map of Human Development Index (HDI) 2002 Source: http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/worldmap_HDI2004.htm

Economic and Social Development: Selected Indicators and Countries

Saudi Arabia GDP per capita (US$) 15,711 Uruguay 9,962 Russia 10,845 Costa Rica 9,481 Vietnam 3,071 Morocco 4,555

Adult Literacy Rate (%) 82.9 Female Literacy Rate (%) 76.3 Life expectancy (years) Under 5 mortality Political Rights/ Civil Liberties* HDI 72.2 26 7/6

96.8 97.3 75.9 15 1/1

99.4 99.2 65 18 6/5

94.9 95.1 78.5 12 1/1

90.3 86.9 73.7 19 7/5

52.3 39.6 70.4 40 5/4

0.812

0.852

0.082

0.846

0.733

0.646

* 1 is most free, 7 is least free Sources: Human Development Report 2007/8; Freedom House 2008

Some Statistics
1.2 billion people across the world are hungry, 70% female 67 million children are not enrolled in primary education ,

43% in sub-Saharan Africa Women only hold 18% of seats in parliament worldwide Every year, over half a million women and girls die in pregnancy or childbirth, 99% in developing countries Two thirds of those living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa, most of them women 1.2 billion people lack access to basic sanitation 828 million people live in urban slums globally
Sources: http://www.devinfo.org/di-facts.html http://www.undp.org/mdg/basics.shtml

Development as Modernization
Walt Whitman Rostow: The Stages of Economic Growth (1960)
Development = modernization: shift from immature, poor, traditional,

agrarian society to mature, wealthy, advanced, modern, industrial nation Driver = Capitalism and western values, technology, politics Goal = stimulate economic growth Linear model of universal stages Catch-up model Traditional and Modern economies quite separate Lack of development = intrinsic to poor societies Development is economic, defined by economists

Heres a representation of linear development: [Paste link into browser] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn_G2awugwI&feature=related

All societies, in their economic dimensions, [lie] within one of five categories: the traditional society, the pre-conditions for take-off, the take-off, the drive to maturity, and the age of high mass consumption (Rostow, 1960, p. 4).

Critique of Development as Modernization:

A historical, no analysis of colonialism Empirically untrue that undevelopment is original state of traditional

societies Modern and traditional economies not separate Doesnt value indigenous knowledge Orientalist reproduces idea of western superiority Investment and aid dont necessarily produce economic growth Sees state as solution

Development as Dependency
Andre Gunder Frank: The Development of Underdevelopment 1966); Capitalism and Underdevelopment in Latin America (1967)
Development = reducing dependency on global markets, self-

determination Cause of undevelopment = capitalism and colonialism West has de-industrialized colonies, eg India Economies integrated not separate Developing societies falling behind Free flow of capital = inequalities West has developed on back of developing world West = problem not solution

Critique of dependency theory:

Economic inequalities are within the west as well as

between the west and developing societies

How can the rise of the NICs in east and

southeast Asia be accounted for?

ISI hasnt resulted in economic growth
Constructs developing societies as victims,

underestimates resistance

Development as Capability
Amartya Sen: Development as Freedom (1999) Development = expansion of human capabilities; what individuals are able to do and be Eg. capability of long and health life, good educational opportunities, meaningful job, physical safety, democratic debate Threshold of capabilities below which a dignified human life is not possible People come first in a capabilities approach Poverty is not lack of income but of capability Development is multi-dimensional

Critique of Capability Theory:

One persons choice of capability may limit anothers How should different capabilities be weighted and

valued?
Its hard to measure capabilities
How easy is it to see if people have a capability if they

choose not to use it?

Can you rely on people to report their level of

capability?

Development as Sustainability
Sustainability = Meeting the needs of todays population

without harming the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland Commission) Need to respect that earths resources are finite Value people rather than things Intermediate technology, think local, think small Communal ownership, value indigenous knowledge Conserve more and pollute less Take responsibility for addressing climate change Minority world must consume less, and consume differently

Critique of Development as Sustainability: Human ingenuity will exploit new resources as others run out, and find ways to get more for less Poverty and malnutrition dont result from shortages of resources, but poor distribution systems and/or inability to pay for goods

Development Aid
Financial flows from donor governments to developing country

governments and multilateral institutions, administered with the promotion of the economic development and welfare of developing countries as the main objective.
History of Aid Marshall Plan; Cold War; MDGs UN Target: 0.7% of GNP (met in 2010 by Denmark, Luxembourg,

Netherlands, Norway, Sweden)

$128.7 billion in 2010 (0.32% of minority

world GNP)
Tied Aid Aid Conditionality Dependency

Structural Adjustment
Conditions attached to finance from IMF/World Bank Neo-liberal: shrink state; promote market Aim: balance external debts and trade deficits Outcome: Increased poverty and inequality

Development Targets

The Millennium Development Goals

Adopted in 2000 to be achieved by 2015

What is Post-Development?
Arturo Escobar Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of the Third World (1995)
Development is not neutral but a discourse based on Eurocentrism
This discourse and its practices have been forced on rest of world Indigenous cultures and values have been destroyed Sustainability of natural environments has been threatened Poor now see themselves as inadequate, to blame Development was always unjust, never worked, and has now clearly failed

Critique:

Is it really new? Havent some things improved? Can development never bring good change?

Conclusions
Development is a contested concept Different understandings of development = different indicators

The way we label development matters

HDI is a composite measure of social as well as economic development Low levels of development are concentrated in SSA GNP/capita is not a reliable predictor of development

Development has been theorized as modernization; dependency;

capability and sustainability Development aid is 0.3% of minority world GNP; effectiveness is contested Most of the MDGs will be missed in 2015 Post-development = development as a eurocentric idea
Watch this clip What is Development?:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRmjoF5nv6s