Modernisation theory

Modernisation theory A PowerPoint presentation compiled by Ramesh Adhikari

Introduction to Modernisation theory • For a country to be seen as modern, modernisation theorists say it has to undergo an evolutionary advance in science and technology which in turn would lead to an increased standard of living for all

Causes of lack of development or progress towards modernisation? • That some countries have not modernised is seen to be the result of internal factors such as (a) poverty and (b) inadequate culture

Historical background to modernisation theory • Post world war two’s deepening poverty in some countries • Ideological competition from communism

Historical Background (cont…) 3 Increasing unrest in some countries 4 The above posed a threat to capitalism, and especially the USA 5 This led to the development of modernisation theory (mainly by US economists and policy makers)

Historical Context • 1950s (Post World War II) • U.S. becoming a Superpower • Success of the Marshall Plan • New attention to unequal development in the world

“Traditional Society” • Reliance on kinship structures • Little social or spatial mobility • Only basic economic activity • A traditional elite and hierarchical organization

“Modern Society” • Nuclear family serves only limited functions • Complex and differentiated occupations and economy • Highly differentiated political structures • Rational legal sources of authority

Parson’s (cultural factors block development) • Traditional values block a country from developing e.g. valuing the extended family, blocks geographical mobility Traditional values Modern values • Ascription Achievement • Particularism Universalism • Collectivism Individualism

Modernisation theorists aimed to: • explain why poorer countries failed to evolve into modern societies • Reduce the spread of communism by presenting capitalist values as the solution to poverty Modernisation theory has become increasingly influential, especially since post collapse of USSR

What is Progress? • Progress as a natural process • Progress as a political process • Consolidation of the nation state • Progress as economic growth • Progress as personal • “a shift in values, attitudes and expectations”

Theories of Modernization • Modernization is the total transformation of a traditional or pre-modern society into the type of technology and associated social and political organization that characterizes the Western world. • Countries develop out of a functionalist, evolutionary, system theory of social development that is linear.

Theories of Modernization • Development as modernization leading to modern growth, thus involves the modernization of social relationships and institutions, political relationships and institutions and economic relationships and institutions, or the shift from traditional to modern society. • The locus of change is the modern sector, centered on the rationalist values of the enlightenment era and the cultural rise of the modern nation state.

Features of economic modernization • Influenced by keynesian ideas and the Marshall plan. • Distinction made between backward or traditional countries and advanced or modern capitalist countries. The goal is to show how countries make the transition to a modern industrial country. • The transition to modernization is marked by sustained and higher rates of growth caused by rising levels/rates of savings/investment

Features of economic modernization • The engine of growth is the capitalist class in the modern sector, given their profit maximizing, individually rational, modern values and behaviour. • Under conditions of international trade, there tends to be a presumption that such international economic interactions will have a favourable net impact, with the expectation of global economic convergence i.e. the poor catching up with the rich.

Economic modernization • Lewis develops a model of growth which explicitly recognizes developmental differences between countries and makes a further distinction within developing countries by characterising them as dual economies. • Labour surplus traditional sector and modern sector in developing countries.

Economic modernization • Traditional sector is agriculture based – low technology, capital and worker productivity. • Modern sector – high productivity manufacturing or urban centered industrialization – requires growth in savings and increased capital accumulation.

Rostow’s evolutionary ladder of development (economic factors) 5 The age of high Mass consumption 4 The drive to maturity: economic and cultural factors lead to increasing prosperity for all 2 Pre-conditions for take-off: the West assists development through aid and industrial investment 3 Take-off: high economic growth and investment in infrastructure begins 1 Traditional society: poverty, primary production and traditional values

Rostow's Stages of Growth Walt Rostow wrote in the late 50's and early 60's in response to the many seemingly successful Marxist theories of economic development Marxist writers had developed a number of stages through which a country had to pass, Rostow came up with a similar list.

Rostow - Stages of Growth • Traditional Society • Characterised by • subsistence economy – output not traded or recorded • existence of barter • high levels of agriculture and labour intensive agriculture

Rostow - Stages of Growth 2. Pre-conditions for Take off: • Development of mining industries • Increase in capital use in agriculture • Necessity of external funding • Some growth in savings and investment

Rostow - Stages of Growth 3. Take off: • Increasing industrialisation • Further growth in savings and investment • Some regional growth • Number employed in agriculture declines

Rostow - Stages of Growth 4. Drive to Maturity: • Growth becomes self-sustaining – wealth generation enables further investment in value adding industry and development • Industry more diversified • Increase in levels of technology utilised

Rostow - Stages of Growth 5. High mass consumption • High output levels • Mass consumption of consumer durables • High proportion of employment in service sector

Modernisation theory – role of the West in developing countries • Western investment in factories, expertise and equipment – use loans from World Bank (Trickle down) • Western funding to introduce meritocratic education (values of universalism, individualism and competition (Hoselitz)

Modernisation theory – the West and the developing countries (continued) iii Mass media to disseminate modern ideas e.g. nuclear families (Inkles) iv Urbanisation to be encouraged (Hoselitz)

With such help from the west poor countries would develop • capitalist entrepreneurial middle class to develop business opportunities • High mass consumption • An urban population • Lifestyles of conspicuous consumption

Criticism of modernisation theory • It is ethnocentric because (a) it devalues traditional values and social institutions e.g. extended families (b) it ignores increasing inequality within and between countries (c) it is not a neutral theory as it suggests (it promotes western capitalist values)

Education in developing world mainly benefits small, local elites (those at the top) • It assumes unlimited natural resources for industrial expansion. (ignores ecological issues)

There is no, one single way to advancement and historical context is also important. • The cultures of developing countries e.g the importance of the family, may be a response to economic insecurity and low levels of material well-being not the cause of it. (Inglehart and Baker 2000)

Critiques of Modernization • Modernization can break down traditional authority without necessarily replacing it with modern structures • Modernization can cause problems: • Psychological stress/ issues of identity • Violence and political disorder

Neo modernisation theorists stress importance of cultural values • Huntington argues there are eight cultural zones • Christian traditions and values led to economic prosperity for the Western zone • Non western zones resent this prosperity

Huntington • Argues with the idea that modernization means political and economic development going hand in hand • Worries that efforts to promotes modernization can produce political disorder • Modernization not the same as Modernity • Instability might be related to the rate of change • Economic growth can lead to social tensions

Huntington • Key variables • Degree of institutionalization • Degree of participation

“We are not poor, there are no beggars here; for people from outside, yes there is poverty because they see us unwashed or they see our houses in poor shape, for them this is poverty, but for us this is not poverty. When we want to fish in the river, if we want to talk or think, we have space. In the end, where there is land, there is no poverty.” • (Venancio Mborobainchi, President of the Urubicha Communal Center, cited on the CIPCA website 2007).

Influence of modernisation theory today • Paternalism of NGO’s – ‘people first’ policies are based on western ‘help’ as it is deemed that poor countries cannot help themselves • Neo-liberals want a free market and advocate ‘helping’ poor countries. (Arguably they want it both ways depending on what suits them.)

Some may respond by rejecting modernisation and return to fundamentalism Eg the Arab World and fostering of international terrorism (Sept 11th) • Marxists say it is not cultural but economic factors which matter most, and western ideas about modernisation are laden with capitalist values

Social Mobilization and Political Development • Deutsch (1961) • Social Mobilization: “the process in which major clusters of old social, economic, and psychological commitments are eroded or broken and people become available for new patters of socialization and behavior” • Two-Stages: • Breaking from the old • Forming stable new patterns

Measures of Mobilization • Exposure to modernity • Mass media • Voting participation • Urbanization • Change to non-agricultural employment • Literacy • Per capita income

Mechanisms for Modernizing • Media • Cultural Diffusion • Foreign Aid • “Social Evolution”

THANK YOU

Modernisation theory