DVM 2105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Non-Aligned Movement, Thesis Statement, Knowledge Power
20 Aug 2016
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DVM 2105
DVM2105 Final — 35%
Part 1: Explanatory (long) answer questions. Answer 5 out of 6 questions. Max 5 marks per
question
Part 2: Essay question. Answer 1 of 3 questions. Max 10 marks
-thesis statement
-must argue a position
Development and Its Meaning
(pages: 5-7, 9, 12-14, 18-21 )
What is the Third World?
•tiers monde coined by Alfred Sauvy
•refers to countries not in the developed West or Soviet Union
•draws a parallel between the bottom layer of the social pyramid and the clergy and nobility
(in France)
What is its political usage?
•Cold War created tension between the First and Second World
•Non-Aligned Movement brought political unity to all countries outside of this dichotomy
•the term ‘third world’ suggested a political bloc that provided an alternative to the ideological
power groupings
Does the Third World stand for underdevelopment?
•modern concept of development traces back to Truman’s four points that declared the duty
of America to share with the world their advances
•the term “underdeveloped” implies a universal measurement of development and that
nations can be assessed based on this standard
•those that meet the standard are developed, and those that don’t are not
•term implies the need for outside intervention by those who deem themselves superior
•many are unhappy with the term Third World as it implies a world hierarchy and single path
to development success
•remember that un-development and underdevelopment are different
What is labeling and what does it do in the international political economy?
•the terms used to describe people, places and processes within international development
reflect the evolution of thinking about poverty, wealth, and the relationship among nations
•labels make existing practices appear more legitimate
•labels also shape future policies and policy making
•understanding labels helps people to track progression of important approaches
•ex: the term “developing country” was proposed instead of “underdeveloped” or “third world”
•these labels justify the actions of those who do the labelling, for example, foreign
intervention, trade relations, etc
•labels are socially constructed and are created for specific purposes
•grouping countries under a label such as “South” implies homogeneity and justifies blueprint
managerial approaches
•must be aware that the labels shape and are shaped by culturally informed assumptions,
historical positions and relations between power and knowledge
How does the World Bank categorize countries?
•categorizes countries into low, middle, and high income groups (calculated using a measure
of GNI)
•further subdivisions include lower-middle and upper-middle income groups
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•a second category of high income countries exists also, encompassing those who belong to
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
•“developing countries" refers to low and middle income economies
•when the WB compares levels of development it ranks countries by their average income
per inhabitant (GDP per capita)
•these are adjusted by purchasing power parity (PPPs) which take into consideration
different values of currency
What does this classification tell us?
•WB is simplistic and does not examine the whole picture
•labels, which appear to be non-political or natural, are at times masked practices of control
and foreign interference
•by superimposing new labels on existing practices there is a risk of creating illusions of
reform where there are none
•the ranking tells us how countries are improving or deteriorating, and indicates which
country’s have highly productive economies and which do not
•allows the WB to justify their policies for development because it is seen as helping
countries
What is the fourth world?
•defines the condition of the least developed countries
•“failed states”
•those that have experienced sever setbacks in human wellbeing, political governance, etc
•typically in connection with military or armed conflict
•George Manuel: internal colonization of Aboriginals, who have as a result suffered from
displacement, dispossession, and overruled political, economic, social and cultural rights
What is development?
•different approaches to development arrive at different definitions or classifications for what
it means
What is inequality and what are their causes?
•when inequality becomes part of a nation’s culture it undermines social trust and diffuses
social capital
•“social capital” refers to this extent to which individuals are willing to cooperate in the pursuit
of shared goals (essential to development)
What are the causes of inequality?
•colonial rule as well as neo-colonial economic relations have consolidated unreal social
relations based on slavery, feudalism, and patterns of land ownership
•the characteristics of late industrialization and the inappropriate use of capital-intensive
technology reduce the employment potential of GDP growth
•inadequate social safety nets and regressive taxation systems prevent the redistribution of
national income toward the poor and middle classes
What is the poverty line?
•poverty is defined usually by an extremely low level of income
•absolute poverty: being below the minimum level of income required for physical survival
($1.25/day)
•moderate poverty: defined by an in income of $2/day, at which level basic needs are barely
met but survival is not threatened
•relative poverty: refers to poverty that does not threaten daily survival but an individual still
does not have the income necessary to participate fully in his or her society
•these lines are income based, and represent a non-evaluative model of development
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What are the social, cultural, psychological, etc dimensions of poverty?
•there remain dimensions of poverty that are not income based
•social exclusion approach: addresses social and political perspectives of inequality and
redistribution
•a person is excluded from his or her society when he or she is a resent but cannot
participate in normal activities but would like to do so
•focuses on women, children, elderly, handicapped and racial or ethnic minorities
•highlights the precariousness of work, physical weakness, powerlessness, humiliation,
psychological factors, and other issues not looked at in income based approaches
•promotes policies that eliminate discrimination and advance affirmative action
•poverty is the denial of an entitlement; a right which is left unfulfilled for the majority
•situational poverty refers to poverty that is caused by an adversity, natural disaster or
serious illness
•generational poverty refers to the poverty that is handed over throughout generations from
parent to children
•these definitions make a more inclusive picture of the issue
Dudley Sears: what are the conditions necessary for the realization of the potential of human
personality?
•adequate income to cover needs of survival
•employment
•improvement in income distribution
•education
•political participation
•national autonomy
Amartya Sen: capabilities approach
•development should be seen as an increase in individuals’ substantive freedoms
•“development as freedom”
•the value of wealth is that they are the means to having freedom and achieving the type of
life one values
•sees poverty as an “un-freedom” or deprivation of freedoms that limit the ability of people to
improve their lives
•lack of freedom results from denial of procedural rights (political participation, human and
civic rights) and opportunities
•the key to the argument becomes how to expand people capabilities to improve their ability
to make choices they value
•greater freedom enhances the ability of people to help themselves and also to influence the
world
•education, access to adequate healthcare, and unemployment insurance are central
elements that expand peoples’ capabilities
•achieving these goals depends on democracy
Denis Goulet said development should promote:
•the basic needs of survival (shelter, food, clothing, health)
•dignity, identity, self esteem
•freedom and choices
UNDP Human Development Report: ranks countries by their HDI score
•Human Development Index is measured by:
•life expectancy at birth
•the adult literacy rate and gross primary school enrolment
•GDP per capita
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Document Summary
Development and its meaning (pages: 5-7, 9, 12-14, 18-21 ) How does the world bank categorize countries: categorizes countries into low, middle, and high income groups (calculated using a measure of gni, further subdivisions include lower-middle and upper-middle income groups. What is development: different approaches to development arrive at different definitions or classifications for what it means. Dudley sears: what are the conditions necessary for the realization of the potential of human personality: adequate income to cover needs of survival, employment, improvement in income distribution, education, political participation, national autonomy. Denis goulet said development should promote: the basic needs of survival (shelter, food, clothing, health, dignity, identity, self esteem, freedom and choices. Undp human development report: ranks countries by their hdi score: human development index is measured by, life expectancy at birth, the adult literacy rate and gross primary school enrolment, gdp per capita.
