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Module
3: Social development and poverty
By
A. Swaby-Burton, Contributor
This
module seeks to:
1.
develop in students an understanding
of the sociological issues of development
2.
enable students to discuss "poverty"
employing a sociological perspective.
Welcome
back from your break, I do hope you
spent quality time studying. The area
of focus for the next few weeks will
address social development and poverty.
In this week's lesson emphasis will
be placed on development, and the
sociological theories of development.
DEVELOPMENT
STUDIES
Development
studies emerged in the aftermath of
World War II in relation to the growth
of anti-colonialism and independence
movements. Much of development Sociology
is organised around issues of deprivation
and wants. T. Lawson in Sociology
Reviewed (1993) noted that Sociologists
seek to identify differences between
societies on the basis of their different
stages of development. He offers a
range of classifications as follows:
a.
developed world vs underdeveloped
world;
or
b.
developing societies: for example
First
World (developed)
Second
World (developing)
Third
World (underdeveloped)
or
c.
Western Capitalist societies (First
World) Socialists economies of
Eastern
Europe (Second World) this bloc has
fallen since 1990 - the
North
vs Underdeveloped countries (Third
World South
d.
Third World societies (the underdeveloped
countries) made poorer by
First
World
DEFINITION
OF THE THIRD WORLD
Which
ever 'definition' is adopted, there
is one fact which informs the debate:
the disparity between "rich"
(developed) and poor (developing/underdeveloped)
countries. It is the belief of many
that about 75% of the World's population
live in 'poor' countries, which collectively
hold about 17% of the World's wealth,
10% of the world's manufacturing industry
and 20$ of world trade and investment.
What
then constitutes the Third World when
compared to First World? Many ask.
A number of indicators of Third World
'status' might include:
*
a tendency to have a larger agricultural
than industrialwork force
*
a tendency to rely on a limited number
of raw material products for export;
*
high level of illiteracy;
*
a colonial past.
T.
Barnett, in Sociology and Development
(1988), pinpointed three meanings
of development which may be considered
of relevance:
1.
Development from within: in this instance
change can occur as a result of the
society itself
2.
Development as interaction: change
occurs because of interactions with
others, for example: other countries
or capitalist
enterprises.
3.
Development as interpenetration: in
this case change occurs as a result
of any number of reasons, the interrelationship
between societies being so complex.
WHAT
REALLY IS DEVELOPMENT?
Development
implies some positive progress in
a society's condition. Aidan Foster-Carter's
study, Development in Sociology (1993)
identifies four senses of the world
development.
1.
Economic development:
This
is usually linked directly to economic
growth, for example, expansion of
manufacturing industry.
2.
Social development:
Here
the redirection of poverty and inequality
are important and an increase in employment
necessary (these have been considered
key welfare requirements of development).
3.
Political development:
This
tends to look (from a Western perspective)
at the extent to which a country is
deemed to be democratic.
4.
Cultural development:
This
relates to the extent to which the
existing culture(s) in any one country
can be sustained or whether it (they)
may change and be influenced by others.
INDICATORS
OF DEVELOPMENT
1. Degree of urbanisation
2. Literacy rates and vocational training
3. Newspaper circulation
4. Political democracy (as measured
by the existence of multi-party system
and the regular executive transfer
through secret ballot elections).
5. Free enterprise
6. Secularisation (i.e. the institutionalisation
of 'rationality' as the dominant behavioural
norm).
7. Degree of Social mobility
8. Occupational differentiation
9. Large number of voluntary associations
including, for example, trade unions
10. National unity (as opposed to
ethnic and denominational factualism
11. Nuclear family patterns
12.
Independent judiciaries
Source:
Adapted
from The Sociology of Developing Societies
Join
me next week as the focus will be
Sociological theories of development.
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