Professional Documents
Culture Documents
IntroductiontoModernisationtheory
Foracountrytobeseenasmodern,
modernisationtheoristssayithastoundergo
anevolutionaryadvanceinscienceand
technologywhichinturnwouldleadtoan
increasedstandardoflivingforall
Causesoflackofdevelopmentorprogress
towardsmodernisation?
Thatsomecountrieshavenotmodernisedis
seentobetheresultofinternalfactorssuch
as(a)povertyand(b)inadequateculture
Historicalbackgroundtomodernisationtheory
1. Postworldwartwosdeepeningpovertyin
somecountries
2. Ideologicalcompetitionfromcommunism
3 Increasingunrestinsomecountries
4 Theaboveposedathreattocapitalism,and
especiallytheUSA
5 Thisledtothedevelopmentof
modernisationtheory(mainlybyUS
economistsandpolicymakers)
Modernisationtheoristsaimedto:
a) explainwhypoorercountriesfailedtoevolveinto
modernsocieties
b) Reducethespreadofcommunismbypresenting
capitalistvaluesasthesolutiontopoverty
Modernisationtheoryhasbecome
increasinglyinfluential,especiallysincepost
collapseofUSSR
Rostowsevolutionaryladderofdevelopment
(economicfactors)
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 takeoff: the West assists
development through aid
and industrial investment
1 Traditional society:
poverty, primary production
and traditional values
Huntington:Modernizationand
politicaldecay
Socialmobilization
Economic
development
Modernizationand
violence
Gaphypothesis
Political
modernization
Rationalauthority
Differentiated
structure
Massparticipation
Parsons(culturalfactorsblockdevelopment)
Traditionalvaluesblockacountryfrom
developinge.g.valuingtheextendedfamily,
blocksgeographicalmobility
Traditionalvalues
Ascription
Particularism
Collectivism
Modernvalues
Achievement
Universalism
Individualism
Modernisationtheory roleoftheWestin
developingcountries
i.
Westerninvestmentin
factories,expertiseand
equipment useloans
fromWorldBank(Trickle
down)
ii.
Westernfundingto
introducemeritocratic
education(valuesof
universalism,
individualismand
competition(Hoselitz)
Modernisationtheory theWestandthe
developingcountries(continued)
iii
Massmediato
disseminatemodern
idease.g.nuclear
families
(Inkles)
iv
Urbanisationtobe
encouraged
(Hoselitz)
Withsuchhelpfromthewestpoorcountrieswould
develop
a. capitalistentrepreneurialmiddleclassto
developbusinessopportunities
b. Highmassconsumption
c. Anurbanpopulation
d. Lifestylesofconspicuousconsumption
Criticismofmodernisationtheory
1. Itisethnocentric because
(a)itdevaluestraditionalvaluesandsocial
institutionse.g.extendedfamilies
(b)itignoresincreasinginequalitywithinand
betweencountries
(c)itisnotaneutraltheoryasitsuggests(it
promoteswesterncapitalistvalues)
Educationindeveloping
worldmainlybenefits
small,localelites(those
atthetop)
Itassumesunlimited
naturalresourcesfor
industrialexpansion.
(ignoresecological
issues)
4 Thereisno,onesinglewaytoadvancementand
historicalcontextisalsoimportant.
5 Theculturesofdevelopingcountriese.gthe
importanceofthefamily,maybearesponse to
economicinsecurityandlowlevelsofmaterial
wellbeingnotthecauseofit.(Inglehartand
Baker2000)
Influenceofmodernisationtheory
today
1. PaternalismofNGOs peoplefirstpolicies
arebasedonwesternhelpasitisdeemed
thatpoorcountriescannothelpthemselves
2. Neoliberalswantafreemarketand
advocatehelpingpoorcountries.(Arguably
theywantitbothwaysdependingonwhat
suitsthem.)
Neomodernisationtheoristsstressimportance
ofculturalvalues
Huntington arguesthereareeightcultural
zones
Christiantraditionsandvaluesledto
economicprosperityfortheWesternzone
Nonwesternzonesresentthisprosperity
Somemayrespondbyrejectingmodernisation
andreturntofundamentalismEgtheArab
Worldandfosteringofinternationalterrorism
(Sept11th)
Marxistssayitisnotculturalbuteconomic
factorswhichmattermost,andwesternideas
aboutmodernisationareladenwithcapitalist
values