Modernization theory

About: Modernization theory is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 14641 publications have been published within this topic receiving 232469 citations.

Greening the grid : the ecological modernisation of network-bound systems

Abstract: Environmental innovation in network-bound systems influences the traditional relations between providers of these services and consumers. By applying ecological modernisation theory to environmental innovation in Dutch water and electricity systems, it is argued that projects which aim at 'environmental monitoring' and 'environmental differentiation' are most relevant to study the changing relations between consumers and providers as well as opportunities for environmental reform. Consumer-oriented environmental monitoring offers transparency to both consumers and providers concerning environmental performance. Monitoring and metering projects in Dutch water and electricity systems do not yet meet the requirements of transparency in environmental performance at both sides of the meter. Environmental differentiation and market liberalisation of network-bound systems enable users to make a shift from the traditional role of 'captive consumer' to that of 'customer', 'co-provider' and 'citizen-consumer'. The study of environmental differentiation in Dutch water and electricity sectors illustrated that consumer involvement towards providers indeed diversifies along these lines. The insights in this study of consumer-provider relations in water and electricity systems are also valid for the ecological modernisation of other network-bound systems like transport and sanitation systems and other systems of provision such as the food sector.

The Rise of the “Priceless” Child in China

Abstract: This article explores how the meaning of the child and parent-child relationships have changed in urban China undergoing rapid modernization. It draws on life history interviews with Beijing post-1990s (jiulinghou) youth in their last secondary school year, their parents, and their grandparents. Chinese urban children have become extremely “precious” to parents. There is much continuity between the two older generations’ parent-child relationships. However, with the birth of the only-child generation and other socioeconomic changes in post-Mao China, the rise of the Chinese “priceless child” occurred. This generational change supports previous theorizing about modernization of parent-child relationships based on Western countries. But both the rise, and the preciousness, of the priceless child in China have been intensified by the dramatic post-Mao social transformation, including the only-child policy. Understanding what it means to be the Chinese “priceless child” adds local contextual nuance to analysi...

The Right Kind of Revolution: Modernization, Development, and U.S. Foreign Policy from the Cold War to the Present

Abstract: Michael E. Latham (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2011), ix+246 pp I thoroughly recommend this book. It is an insightful account into modernisation theory and its importance in US foreign po...

Counseling in Turkey: An Evolving Field

Abstract: Most people who have never visited Turkey think of it as a country located somewhere in the Middle East. In fact, Turkey has a unique geographic location that bridges Europe and Asia, sharing borders with countries in Europe (Greece and Bulgaria) andAsia (Armenia and Georgia), as well as the Middle East (Iran, Iraq, and Syria). The modern secular republic of Turkey was established in 1923 following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which had reigned for more than 600 years. The leader of the secular and progressive Turkish government, Mustafa Kemal Atatiirk, laid the groundwork for the Westernization of Turkey and its entry into the modern technological age. Some of the initial attempts at modernization included replacing the Arabic alphabet with the Latin alphabet, adopting the Western calendar, encouraging men and women to adopt a Western style of dress, replacing sharia (Islamic law) with a secular legal system adapted from Switzerland, granting equal rights to women (including the right to vote and to be elected to government) and encouraging the education of girls. According to Go1e (2004), granting rights to women and transforming them into "public citizens" (p. 12) can be considered "the backbone of Turkish modernism" (p. 12). Today, Turkey has a population of more than 70 million. It shares many common characteristics with other developing countries, such as low per capita income; low levels of education (Raney & Cmarbas, 2005); a large urban--rural divide; a high fertility rate; and the simultaneous existence of modem and traditional economies, lifestyles, and values (Sumer, 1998). In discussing the coexistence of modern and traditional lifestyles and values in Turkey, Surner (1998) stated, "Turkish culture ... is fundamentally collectivistic in the sense that the family retains priority, but this collectivism coexists with highly individualistic trends in the systems of education and economy, where market rules necessitate and justify competition" (p. 126). According to Mocan-Aydm (2000), differences in attitudes, values, and lifestyles among people in different geographic regions and groups make it difficult to provide an answer to the question, "Who is the average Turk?" However, Mocan-Aydln concluded, "If we consider a continuum of collectivism versus individualism, Turkish people still seem to be close to the collectivistic end while at the same time striving for individualism" (p. 282). Recent research (Karakitapoglu Aygun & Imamoglu, 2002) concerning the role of age and value orientation among Turkish university students and adults indicated that compared with university students, adults attribute more significance to traditional values (e.g., showing respect to others, following social norms, sustaining concordance in relationships). As with many other developing countries, Turkey has quickly and readily absorbed many aspects of Western culture, adopted many modern tenets, and mirrored many of the same patterns in attempting to adopt the social sciences. As stated by Adair and Kagitcibasi (1995), "a serious problem facing many social science disciplines in developing countries is their lack of application to the local culture and to the solutions of national social problems stemming from rapid change and development" (p. 634). Thus, counseling as a field has been confronted with many of the same struggles as other social sciences in developing countries. In line with Adair and Kagitcibasi, Demir and Aydin (1996) concluded that although Turkish universities have been responsive in terms of keeping up with advances in academic fields, they have not been very responsive to the needs of society and, as a result, have turned out well-educated elites who perceive their social status to be above that of the general public. In short, many fields within the social sciences, including counseling, have had difficulties in perceiving the different social realities that exist in a country with a wide and continually changing spectrum of beliefs between the traditional and the modem. …