Showing papers on "Underdevelopment published in 1974"

The State in Post-Colonial Societies: Tanzania

Abstract: With the recent work of Samir Amin and others, Marxist understanding of African economies has begun to progress; political analysis has lagged far behind however. For too long the ground has been ceded, by default, to the ideologues of establishment political science and to their various permutations on the themes of "political modernization" and "one-party states". This comment applies not merely to "radical Africana" of course. A similar short-fall in radicalism's scientific understanding of the political can be noted with reference to Asia and Latin America as well. The problem of "the state" as it presents itself in the context of "underdevelopment" has been undertheorized and little researched. The present essay seeks to contribute to a further discussion of this issue.

Authoritarian versus Nonauthoritarian Approaches to Economic Development

Abstract: A frequently stated and widely believed maxim of economic development holds that strong central planning under a communist or authoritarian regime is necessary for an underdeveloped country to achieve rapid economic growth. Robert Heilbroner (Heilbroner 1963, pp. 132, 135, and 138), for example, states that "only political leadership of the most forceful kind can ... carry the Great Ascent along." He goes on to say that "in most of the underveloped nations the choice for the command post of development is apt to lie between a military dictatorship and a left-wing civilian dictatorship. . . . the logic of events points to the formation of economic systems and political regimes which will seek to impose development on their peoples. Communism may well be the quickest possible way out of underdevelopment, and the desperate fact is that in many areas of the world the present non-communist effort looks like the slowest possible way." Jagdish Bhagwati (Bhagwati 1966, pp. 203-4) trumpets the same refrain even more forcefully:

The underdevelopment of health or the health of underdevelopment: an analysis of the distribution of human health resources in Latin America.

Abstract: In this presentation it is postulated that the present maldistribution of human health resources in Latin America is brought about by the same determinants that cause the underdevelopment of most of that continent. It is indicated that contrary to the theories of development prevalent in the corridors of power and academic circles of developed countries (as well as in the leading circles of developing countries and in the international agencies) underdevelopment and the uneven distribution of resources both inside and outside the health sector is not due to the absence of cultural and technologic diffusion from developed to developing countries; or to the scarcity of capital in poor nations; or to the presence of dual economies in underdeveloped countries (the urban-entrepreneurial economy and the rural primitive economy). On the contrary underdevelopment and the concomitant maldistribution of resources is caused by the existence of the assumed "conditions" of development; i.e. the cultural technologic and the economic dependency of developing countries and economic and political control of resources by specific interests and social groups--the national lumpen-bourgeoisie and its foreign counterparts. Moreover these 2 factors bring about the so-called dual economies in those countries. The uneven distribution by type of health care region social class and by subsectors (private public social security) of human health resources described in this article is shown to be explained by the same determinants which cause underdevelopment in Latin America. (authors)

What Does Chile Mean: An Analysis of Events in the Health Sector before, during, and after Allende’s Administration

Abstract: An analysis is made of the events in Chile before, during, and after the Allende administration, through the mirror of the Chilean health sector. The paper is divided into three sections. The first shows how the underdevelopment of Chile and the country's concomitant maldistribution of health resources are brought about precisely because of the existence offactors which make up the Rostowian assumptions for development, i.e., (1) the cultural, technological, and economic dependency of Chile, and (2) the economic and political control of resources by specific interests and social groups the national lumpenbourgeoisie and its foreign counterparts. Moreover, these two factors bring about the so-called dual economy in Chile, with an urban, technologically based economy, and a rural, underdeveloped one. The second section describes and analyzes the three main policies of Allende's government in the health sector. These policies were (1) to change the priorities in the health sector to emphasize community and rural medicine, (2) to democratize the health institutions with citizens' and workers' control of those institutions, and (3) to establish a classless health service.

The Underdevelopment of Health or the Health of Underdevelopment: An Analysis of the Distribution of Human Health Resources in Latin America

Abstract: In this presentation it is postulated that the present maldistribution of human health resources in Latin America is brought about by the same determinants that cause the underdevelopment of most of that continent. It is indicated that contrary to the theories of development prevalent in the corridors of power and academic circles of developed countries (as well as in the leading circles of developing countries and in the international agencies) underdevelopment and the uneven distribution of resources both inside and outside the health sector is not due to the absence of cultural and technologic diffusion from developed to developing countries; or to the scarcity of capital in poor nations; or to the presence of dual economies in underdeveloped countries (the urban-entrepreneurial economy and the rural primitive economy). On the contrary underdevelopment and the concomitant maldistribution of resources is caused by the existence of the assumed "conditions" of development; i.e. the cultural technologic and the economic dependency of developing countries and economic and political control of resources by specific interests and social groups--the national lumpen-bourgeoisie and its foreign counterparts. Moreover these 2 factors bring about the so-called dual economies in those countries. The uneven distribution by type of health care region social class and by subsectors (private public social security) of human health resources described in this article is shown to be explained by the same determinants which cause underdevelopment in Latin America. (authors)

Plantations and modes of exploitation

Abstract: Persistent Poverty. Underdevelopment in Plantation Economies of the Third World by George L. Beckford. New York and London: Oxford University Press, 1972. Pp. xxvii + 303, Index; £3.45 (hardback) and £1.40 (paperback).

Less Developed Countries. Technology Transfer and Adaptation: The Role of the Indigenous Science Community

Abstract: What is the role of the scientific community in a less developed country (LDC) in furthering that country's development? In this paper I will try to develop a perspective on this question by describing the view of underdevelopment and the development process that tends to be held by development economists and then contrasting the economist's view with the one that tends to be held by the natural scientist. The development economist, by and large, has placed less weight on organized science as a factor in development than has the natural scientist; while the natural scientist may overestimate the role of science in development, the economics community may underestimate it. In any case, the reasons for the differences are well worth exploring. Section I will review the nature of the economic development problem as viewed by many development economists. I shall consider both the informal theorizing based on relatively rich appreciation of facts and numbers associated with the condition of "less developed," and the more formal theory, sharper but less rich, that has evolved in attempts to "explain" the anatomy of underdevelopment. The economist's view of causation is strikingly different from the one that seems to characterize the literature on science and technology in development written by natural scientists and engineers. To put it overly simply, the economist tends to view economic development as a process of "investment"; the natural scientist views the process as that of "technology transfer" and "adaptation." It seems to me that both are half right. I will discuss these differences in Section II. Section III will focus on the role of the science community in the LDCs, in the context of the earlier discussion of causation and process. While I come up with more questions

Neo-Marxism and Underdevelopment — A sociological phantasy

Abstract: (1974). Neo-Marxism and Underdevelopment — A sociological phantasy. Journal of Contemporary Asia: Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 5-23.

Armaments and Underdevelopment

Abstract: ment of the capitalist penetration into the periphery ; capitalist accumulation was expanded by the establishment of new markets and the procurement of required natural resources. (In this paper the development of capitalist metropoles including the repressive functions of armaments and the military is not taken into consideration; we will concentrate mainly on the functions of armaments for the process of underdevelopment in the periphery.) The phase of primitive accumulation in Eu-

The Political Economy of a Coup: Transnational Linkages and Philippine Political Response

Abstract: While the mainstream of American political development theory is remarkably flexible in response to the many criticisms against it, it persistently ignores one of the central themes found in the critical literature. It has failed to meet head-on the charge that the nation-state is not an autonomous political system and hence cannot be analyzed as such. Much of the criticism of the dominant modes of analysis in political development literature has been what might be called in-house comment questions raised about minor details by individuals committed to the same basic paradigm. More recently, however, this body of theory has been challenged on more fundamental levels. From one position, international relations analysts have proceeded to invade the field without as much as paying their respects to the present occupants. 'Linkage theory', representative of the most important component of this invasion, immediately became a powerful framework within which to build a development theory radically different from the mainstream.1 Other theorists have begun to integrate the analysis of national and international stratification systems, again with little regard for the conventional literature on political development.2 Much international relations and stratification theory seeks to apply relatively conventional systems andlor structuralfunctional theory to the analysis of the underdeveloped portion of transnationally linked political systems. More accurately stated, such analyses assume that the nation is a sub-unit within a larger transnational system. Such approaches, while radically liberating in their impact on older conceptualizations of political development, still present no basic criticism of the underlying premises of the discipline. This is not true of the work of a third group of critics who draw their working ideas directly or indirectly from the Marxist tradition. Economists Paul Baran and Andre Gunder Frank have been influential in creating a view of underdevelopment that links it with the simultaneous development of the industrial nations.3 Subsequent literature has explored this theory more fully: Bodenhemier has recently expanded the model in order to criticize traditional theories of political development and to build on existing dependency theory.4 Galtung, working within the rich literature on imperialism, has refined the conceptual package in a manner to make operationalization of hypotheses relatively simple and to provide guidelines for policy-oriented research.5

Operations Research in the Context of Underdevelopment: Some Case Studies from Peru

Abstract: Several case studies on the use of OR/MS in Peru are examined and several suggestions are made for the practice of operations research and the management sciences in underdeveloped countries.

Underdevelopment and dependence: The fundamental connections

Abstract: May I start with an observation from modern history: the social formations characterized by great disparities in the spread of modern technology, sharp inequalities in labour productivity between u...

Settler Ideology and African Underdevelopment in Postwar Rhodesia

Abstract: A largely ignored aspect of underdevelopment in Rhodesia, which plays a crucial role in legitimating the dominance, policies and status of the ruling group in the economic structure, is the conception, construction and transformation of ideology. By ideology is meant what Plamenatz has called the ‘sets of ideas or beliefs or attitudes characteristic of a group’.' The group whose ideology is being examined here is essentially, though not exclusively, the white community’s whose ideas, beliefs about and attitudes towards black economic structures, enterprise and labour have created an ideology, sometimes unsophisticated and in other instances sophisticated, which has been readily expounded to ‘explain’ African underdevelopment in Rhodesian society.

The Future of Latin America: Between Underdevelopment and Revolution:

Abstract: The article below reviews past and present conditions in Latin America and evaluates alternatives to existing structural problems. It is a general overview for the non-specialized reader who may not be deeply familiar with Latin American affairs. It departs substantially from the more focused theoretical discussion elsewhere in this journal. It directly concerns problems, people, and institutions in Latin America, and as such we hope that it will provide useful background for teachers, students, and workers alike. Rodolfo Stavenhagen is Director of the Center for Sociological Studies, Colegio de Mexico. His article is a revised version of a lecture given at the University of Geneva during September 1971. The author wishes to thank Philip Russell for the translation into English.

The sociology of the sociology of religion: a report on research in progress

Abstract: It is widely assumed that the sociology of religion is methodologically underdeveloped in relation to the rest of sociology. This paper reports on research undertaken to account for this underdevelopment. The theoretical model used to interpret this relationship is borrowed from the works of Ben-David, and Parsons and Platt. It is a role differentiation model. Essentially, it is contended that the specialty did not fully develop in the United States because a very large proportion of those working in the area have been torn between their scientific and religious commitments. Data are based on a content analysis of articles dealing with religion in nine journals of sociology from 1895 to 1970 and show a general decline in the participation of religionists.1

Sex Role Equality, Wet Rice Cultivation, and the State in Southeast Asia

Abstract: Japanese, however, is yet to be seen. There are indications in the growing citizens' movements to curb industrial destruction of the environment, disenchantment with the social irresponsibility of the oligarchic interests, increasing governmental supports for the aged, and, more recently, violent riots by the public at the work-to-rule action of a major railway workers' union that the attitudes of the Japanese, especially those in large urban centers, are indeed gradually moving toward what seem to be Western parallels. By pointing to these indications, I do not imply that Japan will eventually transform into another Western type society. I do insist, however, that modem industrialism, aimed at the control of an ever expanding world market, cannot but effect certain profound social conflicts and subsequent changes in people's outlook that characterize many Western societies. This outlook may be neither totally Western nor purely Japanese, however they are to be reconstructed, but some mixture, amalgam, or synthesis of the two. In short, I argue, in contrast to Professor Hsu, for the importance of economy in the analysis of sociocultural development. The relationship between values and industrialization may appear more complicated elsewhere in the non-Western world, however. The complication arises chiefly from the indisputable fact that today the non-Western societies are confronted with the task of industrialization in the presence of and competition with highly developed industrial economies, mainly of the West. Industrialization is no longer an isolated or autonomous process, and powerful Western (and Japanese!) capital is establishing industries all over the world. The non-Western societies that are yet to shake off the colonial past are therefore faced with the increasing danger of deepening underdevelopment and satellite status. In these conditions, we may very well be presented with a case in which all the major industries of a society are of foreign origin, while the people who work for them draw little benefits to alter and improve their life. We must arm ourselves against the possibility of using a case of this sort as evidence for the coexistence of industrialism and a nonWestern value system. To conclude, the economic viewpoint must be holistic enough to uncover the intricate web of interaction

The political economy of indigenization: the case of the Nigerian enterprises promotion decree

Abstract: Recent literarture on ""underdevelopment"" and ""dependency'"" has suggested that some of the less industrialized countries have a certain margin of choice or area of manoeuvre through the exercise of public policy in creating successful indigenous capitalist economic development or at least ensuring that the activities of foreign enterprises dominating certain areas of the economy are moulded to the national interest.

Arab Youth in Israel: Their Situation and Status Perceptions

Abstract: In discussing the Arab-Israeli conflict, a great deal of attention has been given to the so-called peculiarities of the Arab mentality. The impasse between Israel and its Arab adversaries has been attributed to an irrational mode of thinking among the latter which has, moreover, hindered the economic and social development of the Arab world. This psychological form of reductionism is more than an isolated streak in writings on the Middle East. In his critical assessment of this psychological literature, Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi refers to suspiciousness, cognitive rigidity, authoritarianism and fatalism as dominant constructs in the typification of the Arab national character.' Yet, as BeitHallahmi rightly points out, suspiciousness is as prevalent, if not more so, among the Israeli Jews as it is among the Arabs. And, we can safely state, it is not all that difficult to show that the remaining factors comprising the Arab personality syndrome have featured substantially in "explaining" not only the situation of the Arabs, but most traditional societies. Thus, economic and social underdevelopment in many parts of the Third World, including colonized regions within certain western industrial societies, have been explained away on the grounds of lack of motivation and achievement, ingredients which, according to McClelland and his ilk, are essential prerequisites for a successful transition from traditionalism to modernism. Hence, the onus in such an approach is put on the individual and not on the social structure in which the individual is imbued. To follow this reasoning to its logical conclusion, its advocates would claim that for social change to take place it has to be initiated in the mental and psychic configurations of

Statement presented at the World Population Conference Bucharest (Romania) August 19-30 1974.

Abstract: Indias present demographic situation and current and prospective population trends are presented. After 20 years of trying to reduce fertility it is clear that fertility levels can only be lowered if family planning becomes an integral part of a broader strategy to deal with the problems of poverty and underdevelopment. Purely clinical approaches are not enough to effectively influence the general fertility levels. The gap between the developing countries and the developed countries must be closed. The affluent countries must stop over consuming and must share with the developing countries. There should be an integrated whole economy is the world. The concepts of one world for all and of all mankind is but one family must be accepted for the World Population Conference to be effective.

Developed and Underdeveloped: A Radical View of Constructive Relationships

Abstract: textabstractThere is, particularly in the Western world, a growing wave of self-examination reaching deep into the structure of values that for so long have been taken for granted. Basic premises of life in the industrialized countries are being questioned, and some are coming under serious attack. Among them is the desirability of continued economic expansion, with its inevitably attendant environmental deterioration; heightened complexity and anxiety in the conduct of personal affairs; growing welfare disparities; increasing concentration of power in the hands of managers of economic empires; and increasing specialization upon which economic growth feeds but which leads to an alienation from the natural and social environment, and perhaps ultimately from the self.