What is development? JMS3 JDD 2006 From: Servaes

Common sense notions?  We hope it will overcome poverty, misery, powerlessness and disease and help put people in reach of a better “standard of living”.

Is development about economics?  Modernisation - development must be about growth and improved productive capacity (the power to produce more goods and services).  One could measure development in terms of health and education, but some argue that what has to underpin these things is a society’s ability to become more and more productive.

Is development about human needs?  Some argue that development cannot simply be measured by the amount of money we earn.  To what extent are basic human needs being met by society as a whole.  Eg. We are richer than Cuba, but we import their doctors and teachers.

How is development distributed?  Who determines how the increased profits of the global economy are being distributed?  Why is our economy losing jobs when we have a 3.5% growth rate?  Are the goods we produce (eg. armaments) appropriate or useful?

Is economic development linked to political development?  What is the relationship between democracy and development?

Underdeveloped vs. undeveloped?  Underdeveloped is mostly used to imply that some countries, regions or people have been actively ripped off by outside agencies and forces. Eg. Colonialism and neo-colonialism, globalisation.  In SA a systematic process of underdevelopment – dispossession, deskilling, denial of opportunities and capital and the economic effect of political, cultural and linguistic domination.  Undeveloped implies pristine situation.

Modernisation theory  Paradigm. Supported the transferring of technology and the sociopolitical culture of the developed societies to the ‘traditional’ societies.  Development = economic growth.  Developed Western societies are the ultimate models, which LDC or underdeveloped countries aspire to  Attitudes of ‘backward’ people (traditionalism, bad taste, superstition, fatalism) are obstacles  Bridging the gap, catching up.  Did not look at fundamental differences between countries (just the degree of development on a Western continuum)

 Barriers to be removed in traditional society, in 5 ways:  ‘Demonstration’ – developing world adopts more advanced methods and techniques;  ‘Fusion’ – combination and integration of distinct modern methods;  ‘Compression’ – developing countries attempt to develop in less time than it took the developed world;  ‘Prevention’ – learn from errors made by developed world;  ‘Adaptation’ – adapt modern practices to the local environment and culture.

 Massive transfer of capital, ideology, technology – worldwide Marshall Plan and Green Revolution.  Measures of progress – GNP, literacy, industrial base, urbanization. All quantifiable.  Modernisation accelerated the Westernisation of developing countries without much regard for the needs of the local peoples.  Widespread failure and discontent, especially in Africa.  Increased inequality, increased tension.

Dependency theory  Latin American roots.  Development and underdevelopment seen as two sides of the same coin.  Post-colonial dependence ensured by the reproduction of socioeconomic and political structures at the periphery in accordance with the interests of the centre of power.  Main interest of Western monopoly capitalism is to prevent, slow down, or control the economic development of underdeveloped countries.

 Dos Santos 1970:  “Dependence is a conditioning situation in which the economies of one group of countries are conditioned by the development and expansion of others. A relationship of interdependence between two or more economies or between such economies and the world trading system becomes a dependent relationship when some cou tries can expand through self- impulsion while others, being in a dependent position, can only expand as a reflection of the expansion of the dominant countries, which may have positive or negative effects on their immediate development.”  Dependency: most important hindrance to development is not shortage of capital or management, but the present international system.

 External, not internal obstacles. Development in the centre determines and maintains the underdevelopment in the periphery. 2 poles structurally connected to each other.  Peripheral countries should dissociate themselves from the world market and opt for self-reliant development strategy.  Need a revolutionary political transformation for this.  But, unlinking from the global information or economic system is not easy.  Indebtedness, too weak economically.  AU, SADC don’t provide regional economic communities like EU.

Multiplicity: another development  No universal path to development.  Development as an integral, multidimensional, and dialectic process which can differ from society to society.  But, a multi-perspective ‘another’ development still has core components:

 6 criteria:  Basic needs: meet human, material and non-material needs;  Endogenous: stemming from each society, which defines in sovereignty, its values and future vision;  Self-reliance: each society relies primarily on its own strength and resources;  Ecology: rationally utilizing resources – aware of potential of local ecosystems as well as the global outer limits imposed on present and future;  Participatory democracy: not merely government of the people and for the people, but also, by the people at all levels of society;  Structural changes: in social relations, in economic activities and their spatial distribution, as well as the power structure, so as to realise the conditions of self management and participation in decision-making.