Amanda Kay McVety
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199796915
- eISBN:
- 9780199933266
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199796915.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century, World Modern History
In 1949, the U.S. House of Representatives opened hearings H.R. 5615, the “International Technical Cooperation Act of 1949.” While discussing the specific act, which had grown out of Truman’s ...
More
In 1949, the U.S. House of Representatives opened hearings H.R. 5615, the “International Technical Cooperation Act of 1949.” While discussing the specific act, which had grown out of Truman’s inaugural address earlier that year, the Congressmen discussed the much larger question of the value of using economic and technical assistance as foreign policy tools. In the end, they voted for foreign aid and established the Point Four Program. Using Ethiopia as a test case, this book explores the consequences of that decision.Less
In 1949, the U.S. House of Representatives opened hearings H.R. 5615, the “International Technical Cooperation Act of 1949.” While discussing the specific act, which had grown out of Truman’s inaugural address earlier that year, the Congressmen discussed the much larger question of the value of using economic and technical assistance as foreign policy tools. In the end, they voted for foreign aid and established the Point Four Program. Using Ethiopia as a test case, this book explores the consequences of that decision.
Albert O. Hirschman
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691159904
- eISBN:
- 9781400848409
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691159904.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Theory
This chapter challenges the defeatism of Hirschman's friends and colleagues during the 1950s–1960s, when numerous political and social upheavals were happening worldwide. In this chapter, Hirschman ...
More
This chapter challenges the defeatism of Hirschman's friends and colleagues during the 1950s–1960s, when numerous political and social upheavals were happening worldwide. In this chapter, Hirschman explains that many of the so-called “structural causes”—a term advanced by his Latin American colleagues in the social sciences which refers to entrenched obstacles that make all efforts to change self-defeating—are ideological constructs. The chapter discusses two obstacles to the perception of change: the persistence of traits which are related to the “little traditions,” as well as the bias in the perception of cumulative change. It argues that the real, “stealthy” change that was actually occurring is being obscured in the process and the vital role of political and intellectual leadership is thus ignored.Less
This chapter challenges the defeatism of Hirschman's friends and colleagues during the 1950s–1960s, when numerous political and social upheavals were happening worldwide. In this chapter, Hirschman explains that many of the so-called “structural causes”—a term advanced by his Latin American colleagues in the social sciences which refers to entrenched obstacles that make all efforts to change self-defeating—are ideological constructs. The chapter discusses two obstacles to the perception of change: the persistence of traits which are related to the “little traditions,” as well as the bias in the perception of cumulative change. It argues that the real, “stealthy” change that was actually occurring is being obscured in the process and the vital role of political and intellectual leadership is thus ignored.
Albert O. Hirschman
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691159904
- eISBN:
- 9781400848409
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691159904.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Theory
This chapter showcases an essay written in honor of William Arthur Lewis, whose ideas on economics were in counterpoint to Hirschman's. Lewis was a champion of more balanced growth; Hirschman favored ...
More
This chapter showcases an essay written in honor of William Arthur Lewis, whose ideas on economics were in counterpoint to Hirschman's. Lewis was a champion of more balanced growth; Hirschman favored disequilibrium. Lewis' winning the Nobel Prize for economics, among other things, had only exacerbated Hirschman's concerns that the field was growing stale. Thus, this chapter takes stock of the field of development economics and advocates an approach premised on the idea that peoples of the Third World can chart their own futures, and did, despite the long-standing convictions of development economics that only outside forces and expertise could shake them from their lot.Less
This chapter showcases an essay written in honor of William Arthur Lewis, whose ideas on economics were in counterpoint to Hirschman's. Lewis was a champion of more balanced growth; Hirschman favored disequilibrium. Lewis' winning the Nobel Prize for economics, among other things, had only exacerbated Hirschman's concerns that the field was growing stale. Thus, this chapter takes stock of the field of development economics and advocates an approach premised on the idea that peoples of the Third World can chart their own futures, and did, despite the long-standing convictions of development economics that only outside forces and expertise could shake them from their lot.
Martin Ruef
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691162775
- eISBN:
- 9781400852642
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691162775.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
This chapter argues that familiar paths to economic development such as investments in railroad infrastructure, banking, and market centers, produced unpredictable returns for Southern communities in ...
More
This chapter argues that familiar paths to economic development such as investments in railroad infrastructure, banking, and market centers, produced unpredictable returns for Southern communities in the decades after the war. Confronted with new forms of commerce, boosters faced not only uncertainty in anticipating how much economic and demographic growth to expect from their communities, but also categorical uncertainty in deciding what paths to economic revitalization might be possible. Under conditions of profound change, the most reliable approach for postbellum communities to secure capital investments, attract new residents, and increase the production of local goods was to create organizational forms that were present in other comparable communities, thereby avoiding accusations of idiosyncrasy. This produced a remarkable pattern of economic underdevelopment, and by 1900, most small Southern towns were tied to cotton monocropping and a homogeneous pattern of retailing.Less
This chapter argues that familiar paths to economic development such as investments in railroad infrastructure, banking, and market centers, produced unpredictable returns for Southern communities in the decades after the war. Confronted with new forms of commerce, boosters faced not only uncertainty in anticipating how much economic and demographic growth to expect from their communities, but also categorical uncertainty in deciding what paths to economic revitalization might be possible. Under conditions of profound change, the most reliable approach for postbellum communities to secure capital investments, attract new residents, and increase the production of local goods was to create organizational forms that were present in other comparable communities, thereby avoiding accusations of idiosyncrasy. This produced a remarkable pattern of economic underdevelopment, and by 1900, most small Southern towns were tied to cotton monocropping and a homogeneous pattern of retailing.
Emily Erikson
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691159065
- eISBN:
- 9781400850334
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691159065.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, South and East Asia
This chapter sets out the stakes of the book's argument, situating the English East India Company with respect to some of the larger processes of transition and change in the early modern period and ...
More
This chapter sets out the stakes of the book's argument, situating the English East India Company with respect to some of the larger processes of transition and change in the early modern period and the dawn of modernity in the nineteenth century. The issues addressed are large-scale macro-historical outcomes, such as economic development in the West, underdevelopment in Asia, growth in state capacity, the development of economic theory, and the emergence of new organizational forms. All are linked to and intertwine with the story of the English East India Company. In addition, these developments have at times been indirectly linked to the Industrial Revolution, which the chapter also briefly touches upon.Less
This chapter sets out the stakes of the book's argument, situating the English East India Company with respect to some of the larger processes of transition and change in the early modern period and the dawn of modernity in the nineteenth century. The issues addressed are large-scale macro-historical outcomes, such as economic development in the West, underdevelopment in Asia, growth in state capacity, the development of economic theory, and the emergence of new organizational forms. All are linked to and intertwine with the story of the English East India Company. In addition, these developments have at times been indirectly linked to the Industrial Revolution, which the chapter also briefly touches upon.
Tomas Larsson
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801450815
- eISBN:
- 9780801464089
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801450815.001.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Asian Cultural Anthropology
Domestic and international development strategies often focus on private ownership as a crucial anchor for long-term investment; the security of property rights provides a foundation for capitalist ...
More
Domestic and international development strategies often focus on private ownership as a crucial anchor for long-term investment; the security of property rights provides a foundation for capitalist expansion. In recent years, Thailand's policies have been hailed as a prime example of how granting formal land rights to poor farmers in low-income countries can result in economic benefits. But the country provides a puzzle: Thailand faced major security threats from colonial powers in the nineteenth century and from communism in the twentieth century, yet only in the latter case did the government respond with pro-development tactics. This book argues that institutional underdevelopment may prove, under certain circumstances, a strategic advantage rather than a weakness, and that external threats play an important role in shaping the development of property regimes. Security concerns often guide economic policy. The domestic legacies, legal and socioeconomic, resulting from state responses to the outside world shape and limit the strategies available to politicians. The book situates the experiences of Thailand in comparative perspective by contrasting them with the trajectory of property rights in Japan, Burma, and the Philippines.Less
Domestic and international development strategies often focus on private ownership as a crucial anchor for long-term investment; the security of property rights provides a foundation for capitalist expansion. In recent years, Thailand's policies have been hailed as a prime example of how granting formal land rights to poor farmers in low-income countries can result in economic benefits. But the country provides a puzzle: Thailand faced major security threats from colonial powers in the nineteenth century and from communism in the twentieth century, yet only in the latter case did the government respond with pro-development tactics. This book argues that institutional underdevelopment may prove, under certain circumstances, a strategic advantage rather than a weakness, and that external threats play an important role in shaping the development of property regimes. Security concerns often guide economic policy. The domestic legacies, legal and socioeconomic, resulting from state responses to the outside world shape and limit the strategies available to politicians. The book situates the experiences of Thailand in comparative perspective by contrasting them with the trajectory of property rights in Japan, Burma, and the Philippines.
Uma S. Kambhampati
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198077992
- eISBN:
- 9780199081608
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198077992.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter analyses the incidence of child labour in India, a significant indicator of underdevelopment. It breaks new ground in analysing the impact of liberalization on the incidence of child ...
More
This chapter analyses the incidence of child labour in India, a significant indicator of underdevelopment. It breaks new ground in analysing the impact of liberalization on the incidence of child labour, by taking into account the growth-induced demand for child labour. Analysis of the data on child labour produced by the NSS for the years 1993–4 and 2004–5 suggests that whilst increased incomes of parents has reduced the incidence of child labour in most states of India, though not in all of them, growth-induced demand may have increased the incidence of child labour. The main message of the chapter is that policies designed to reduce child labour should take into consideration the demand-side impact on child labour and should not be lulled into complacency in the knowledge that growth of incomes will reduce the supply of children to the labour market.Less
This chapter analyses the incidence of child labour in India, a significant indicator of underdevelopment. It breaks new ground in analysing the impact of liberalization on the incidence of child labour, by taking into account the growth-induced demand for child labour. Analysis of the data on child labour produced by the NSS for the years 1993–4 and 2004–5 suggests that whilst increased incomes of parents has reduced the incidence of child labour in most states of India, though not in all of them, growth-induced demand may have increased the incidence of child labour. The main message of the chapter is that policies designed to reduce child labour should take into consideration the demand-side impact on child labour and should not be lulled into complacency in the knowledge that growth of incomes will reduce the supply of children to the labour market.
Frances Stewart and Valpy Fitzgerald (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199241866
- eISBN:
- 9780191696961
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199241866.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Wars, especially civil wars, are among the most serious causes of human suffering and underdevelopment. Yet economic analysis of developing countries at war is relatively rare. These volumes aim to ...
More
Wars, especially civil wars, are among the most serious causes of human suffering and underdevelopment. Yet economic analysis of developing countries at war is relatively rare. These volumes aim to reverse this neglect, tracing the economic and social consequences of conflict both theoretically and through empirical investigations, including seven country case studies. A major objective is to identify policies which may reduce the heavy human and economic costs. Volume One provides a general framework for the analysis, examines the political economy of countries at war, and provides an empirical overview of the costs of war for the poor countries worst affected by conflict. The approach is multidisciplinary: political and sociological analysis is needed in order to understand motivations and behaviour during conflict, while economic analysis is necessary to evaluate how poor people are affected. The analysis includes an investigation of how the international system, including food aid, affects the war economies, and identifies international as well as domestic policies which may reduce the human and economic costs of conflict. The end of the Cold War led to a transition to peace in many of the areas in which conflict had been fuelled by East–West antagonism, but new wars erupted. From 1989 to 1995, between 34 and 51 armed conflicts were waged each year, the great majority in poor developing countries. The in-depth country case studies published in Volume Two (Afghanistan, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Uganda) are summarized in this, Volume One.Less
Wars, especially civil wars, are among the most serious causes of human suffering and underdevelopment. Yet economic analysis of developing countries at war is relatively rare. These volumes aim to reverse this neglect, tracing the economic and social consequences of conflict both theoretically and through empirical investigations, including seven country case studies. A major objective is to identify policies which may reduce the heavy human and economic costs. Volume One provides a general framework for the analysis, examines the political economy of countries at war, and provides an empirical overview of the costs of war for the poor countries worst affected by conflict. The approach is multidisciplinary: political and sociological analysis is needed in order to understand motivations and behaviour during conflict, while economic analysis is necessary to evaluate how poor people are affected. The analysis includes an investigation of how the international system, including food aid, affects the war economies, and identifies international as well as domestic policies which may reduce the human and economic costs of conflict. The end of the Cold War led to a transition to peace in many of the areas in which conflict had been fuelled by East–West antagonism, but new wars erupted. From 1989 to 1995, between 34 and 51 armed conflicts were waged each year, the great majority in poor developing countries. The in-depth country case studies published in Volume Two (Afghanistan, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Uganda) are summarized in this, Volume One.
Amanda Kay McVety
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199796915
- eISBN:
- 9780199933266
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199796915.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century, World Modern History
Truman introduced the idea of Point Four during his 1949 inaugural address, because he was convinced that America’s future depended upon the development of the underdeveloped world and he was certain ...
More
Truman introduced the idea of Point Four during his 1949 inaugural address, because he was convinced that America’s future depended upon the development of the underdeveloped world and he was certain that that development could not happen without U.S. assistance. Poor nations anywhere threatened America’s influence everywhere, he insisted, so they needed to become not-poor. Growth theory economics argued that any nation could become developed if it adopted the right policies and had the right opportunities. The United States was going to help ensure that its allies got both and, in the process, that its allies became strong and stable. When the Korean War erupted, American aid rapidly expanded, with economic, technical, and military aid wrapped up together under the aegis of the new Mutual Security Program, which would last throughout the 1950s. By the time Truman left office, foreign aid had become an accepted tool of foreign policy.Less
Truman introduced the idea of Point Four during his 1949 inaugural address, because he was convinced that America’s future depended upon the development of the underdeveloped world and he was certain that that development could not happen without U.S. assistance. Poor nations anywhere threatened America’s influence everywhere, he insisted, so they needed to become not-poor. Growth theory economics argued that any nation could become developed if it adopted the right policies and had the right opportunities. The United States was going to help ensure that its allies got both and, in the process, that its allies became strong and stable. When the Korean War erupted, American aid rapidly expanded, with economic, technical, and military aid wrapped up together under the aegis of the new Mutual Security Program, which would last throughout the 1950s. By the time Truman left office, foreign aid had become an accepted tool of foreign policy.
Stephen Howe
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198204237
- eISBN:
- 9780191676178
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198204237.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History
This book studies British anticolonialism, an offshoot of a massive global upsurge of sentiment which has dominated much of the history of the 20th century. This book ...
More
This book studies British anticolonialism, an offshoot of a massive global upsurge of sentiment which has dominated much of the history of the 20th century. This book surveys the attitudes and activities relating to colonial issues of British critics of Empire during the years of decolonisation. It also evaluates the changing ways in which, arising out of the experience of Empire and decolonisation, more general ideas about imperialism, nationalism, and underdevelopment were developed during these years. The book's discussion encompasses both the left wing of the Labour Party and groups outside it: in the Communist Party, other independent left-wing groups, and single-issue campaigns. The book has contemporary relevance, for British reactions to more late 20th-century events — the Falklands and Gulf Wars, race relations, South African apartheid — cannot fully be understood except in the context of the experience of decolonisation and the legacy of Empire.Less
This book studies British anticolonialism, an offshoot of a massive global upsurge of sentiment which has dominated much of the history of the 20th century. This book surveys the attitudes and activities relating to colonial issues of British critics of Empire during the years of decolonisation. It also evaluates the changing ways in which, arising out of the experience of Empire and decolonisation, more general ideas about imperialism, nationalism, and underdevelopment were developed during these years. The book's discussion encompasses both the left wing of the Labour Party and groups outside it: in the Communist Party, other independent left-wing groups, and single-issue campaigns. The book has contemporary relevance, for British reactions to more late 20th-century events — the Falklands and Gulf Wars, race relations, South African apartheid — cannot fully be understood except in the context of the experience of decolonisation and the legacy of Empire.
Charles Ambler
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205661
- eISBN:
- 9780191676741
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205661.003.0032
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History, British and Irish Modern History
The historiography of British East Africa began, in the last years of the 19th century, in the attempts of participants and observers to describe, explain, justify, or condemn the actions of British ...
More
The historiography of British East Africa began, in the last years of the 19th century, in the attempts of participants and observers to describe, explain, justify, or condemn the actions of British intruders. Across East Africa, communities struggled to develop their own histories of British expansion. Historians variously responded to the challenge of underdevelopment theory. Whether radical in perspective or local in orientation, the new discipline of African history almost entirely ignored women, despite women social scientists having pioneered the academic study of British rule in East Africa. There are also signs of decline of the Imperial historiography of East Africa.Less
The historiography of British East Africa began, in the last years of the 19th century, in the attempts of participants and observers to describe, explain, justify, or condemn the actions of British intruders. Across East Africa, communities struggled to develop their own histories of British expansion. Historians variously responded to the challenge of underdevelopment theory. Whether radical in perspective or local in orientation, the new discipline of African history almost entirely ignored women, despite women social scientists having pioneered the academic study of British rule in East Africa. There are also signs of decline of the Imperial historiography of East Africa.
Victor B. Penchaszadeh
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195128307
- eISBN:
- 9780199864485
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195128307.003.0017
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter discusses the priorities and organization of genetic services in the developing world against the background of the realities of underdevelopment. To define goals for genetic services in ...
More
This chapter discusses the priorities and organization of genetic services in the developing world against the background of the realities of underdevelopment. To define goals for genetic services in developing nations, efforts must be made to improve knowledge of the impact of genetic disorders in the community. Epidemiological research should be stimulated to provide better data on the prevalence and types of birth defects, genetic diseases, and genetic predispositions to common diseases at the country level. Issues of population structure (i.e., consanguinity, founder effects, cultural and geographic isolation) must be studied to assess their influence on geographical clusters of genetic diseases. The health beliefs, traditions, and social expectations of communities should also be assessed properly before setting program goals.Less
This chapter discusses the priorities and organization of genetic services in the developing world against the background of the realities of underdevelopment. To define goals for genetic services in developing nations, efforts must be made to improve knowledge of the impact of genetic disorders in the community. Epidemiological research should be stimulated to provide better data on the prevalence and types of birth defects, genetic diseases, and genetic predispositions to common diseases at the country level. Issues of population structure (i.e., consanguinity, founder effects, cultural and geographic isolation) must be studied to assess their influence on geographical clusters of genetic diseases. The health beliefs, traditions, and social expectations of communities should also be assessed properly before setting program goals.
Ramon Ruiz
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520262355
- eISBN:
- 9780520947528
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520262355.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
Explicitly focusing on the malaise of underdevelopment that has shaped the country since the Spanish conquest, this book offers a panoramic interpretation of Mexican history and culture from the ...
More
Explicitly focusing on the malaise of underdevelopment that has shaped the country since the Spanish conquest, this book offers a panoramic interpretation of Mexican history and culture from the pre-Hispanic and colonial eras through the twentieth century. Drawing on economics, psychology, literature, film, and history, it reveals how development processes have fostered glaring inequalities, uncovers the fundamental role of race and class in perpetuating poverty, and sheds new light on contemporary Mexican reality. Throughout, the book traces a legacy of dependency on outsiders, and considers the weighty role the United States has played, starting with an unjust war that cost Mexico half its territory. Based on decades of research and travel in Mexico, the work helps us better understand where the country has come from, why it is where it is today, and where it might go in the future.Less
Explicitly focusing on the malaise of underdevelopment that has shaped the country since the Spanish conquest, this book offers a panoramic interpretation of Mexican history and culture from the pre-Hispanic and colonial eras through the twentieth century. Drawing on economics, psychology, literature, film, and history, it reveals how development processes have fostered glaring inequalities, uncovers the fundamental role of race and class in perpetuating poverty, and sheds new light on contemporary Mexican reality. Throughout, the book traces a legacy of dependency on outsiders, and considers the weighty role the United States has played, starting with an unjust war that cost Mexico half its territory. Based on decades of research and travel in Mexico, the work helps us better understand where the country has come from, why it is where it is today, and where it might go in the future.
Justin Yifu Lin and Célestin Monga
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780691192338
- eISBN:
- 9781400884681
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691192338.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, International
This chapter examines some of the policy issues often presented as the causes of poor economic performance and underdevelopment. It identifies the most commonly posited causes such as insufficient ...
More
This chapter examines some of the policy issues often presented as the causes of poor economic performance and underdevelopment. It identifies the most commonly posited causes such as insufficient physical capital, bad business environment and poor governance, weak human capital and absorptive capacity, low productivity, and bad cultural habits such as laziness. Many of the reasons often put forward in the development literature to justify the poor economic performance of low-income countries are generally symptoms of the problem rather than its root causes. No country begins its process of sustained economic growth with the “appropriate” amount of physical or human capital. Economic take-off and poverty reduction processes have now occurred in countries with widely different cultural backgrounds and political and administrative itineraries. This has led to another line of “prerequisites to economic development” articulated around the notions of institutional and financial development.Less
This chapter examines some of the policy issues often presented as the causes of poor economic performance and underdevelopment. It identifies the most commonly posited causes such as insufficient physical capital, bad business environment and poor governance, weak human capital and absorptive capacity, low productivity, and bad cultural habits such as laziness. Many of the reasons often put forward in the development literature to justify the poor economic performance of low-income countries are generally symptoms of the problem rather than its root causes. No country begins its process of sustained economic growth with the “appropriate” amount of physical or human capital. Economic take-off and poverty reduction processes have now occurred in countries with widely different cultural backgrounds and political and administrative itineraries. This has led to another line of “prerequisites to economic development” articulated around the notions of institutional and financial development.
RAMóN EDUARDO RUIZ
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520262355
- eISBN:
- 9780520947528
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520262355.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
Neoliberalism is dying everywhere, except in Mexico, where the ruling oligarchy, especially those with commercial and financial ties to the United States, has clutched the reins of power for decades. ...
More
Neoliberalism is dying everywhere, except in Mexico, where the ruling oligarchy, especially those with commercial and financial ties to the United States, has clutched the reins of power for decades. Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón, of Partido Acción Nacional, along with Carlos Salinas and Ernesto Cedillo of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional, left their stamp on politics in the days of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Despite vociferous claims by both Salinas and Fox that Mexico boasted the eleventh-largest economy in the world, it had the peculiar and dubious honor, according to a United Nations report, of not standing alongside the fifty nations given credit for human development. Mexico is a capitalist country, but its capitalism is one of underdevelopment, making it excessively vulnerable to the ups and downs of financial markets. Poverty, unemployment, and small farmers in distress characterize its capitalism. The elimination of tariffs on American goods and the failure of Mexico to support its own industries weakens the country. Since the signing of NAFTA, Mexico's economic growth has been a meager one percent.Less
Neoliberalism is dying everywhere, except in Mexico, where the ruling oligarchy, especially those with commercial and financial ties to the United States, has clutched the reins of power for decades. Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón, of Partido Acción Nacional, along with Carlos Salinas and Ernesto Cedillo of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional, left their stamp on politics in the days of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Despite vociferous claims by both Salinas and Fox that Mexico boasted the eleventh-largest economy in the world, it had the peculiar and dubious honor, according to a United Nations report, of not standing alongside the fifty nations given credit for human development. Mexico is a capitalist country, but its capitalism is one of underdevelopment, making it excessively vulnerable to the ups and downs of financial markets. Poverty, unemployment, and small farmers in distress characterize its capitalism. The elimination of tariffs on American goods and the failure of Mexico to support its own industries weakens the country. Since the signing of NAFTA, Mexico's economic growth has been a meager one percent.
RAMóN EDUARDO RUIZ
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520262355
- eISBN:
- 9780520947528
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520262355.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
This book has explored the reasons why Mexico is underdeveloped. The ills of underdevelopment took centuries to arise; they did not appear overnight. The gargantuan cracks in the social and economic ...
More
This book has explored the reasons why Mexico is underdeveloped. The ills of underdevelopment took centuries to arise; they did not appear overnight. The gargantuan cracks in the social and economic edifice are old and deep. Exploitation by foreign powers, first Great Britain and then the United States, has played a pivotal role. The reliance on exports of primary goods has blocked any possibility of fundamental economic and social change. Mexicans have created for themselves a semicolonial economy. Like a beggar asking for alms, they rely on foreign investment and exports to generate growth. Exports alone account for almost a third of the country's gross domestic product; 90 percent of them are exported to markets on the other side of the border. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) perpetuates this asymmetrical relationship.Less
This book has explored the reasons why Mexico is underdeveloped. The ills of underdevelopment took centuries to arise; they did not appear overnight. The gargantuan cracks in the social and economic edifice are old and deep. Exploitation by foreign powers, first Great Britain and then the United States, has played a pivotal role. The reliance on exports of primary goods has blocked any possibility of fundamental economic and social change. Mexicans have created for themselves a semicolonial economy. Like a beggar asking for alms, they rely on foreign investment and exports to generate growth. Exports alone account for almost a third of the country's gross domestic product; 90 percent of them are exported to markets on the other side of the border. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) perpetuates this asymmetrical relationship.
RAMóN EDUARDO RUIZ
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520262355
- eISBN:
- 9780520947528
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520262355.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
Underdevelopment is commonly associated with poverty, but it is more than that. Underdevelopment means an extremely unequal distribution of wealth and income. Capitalism has created a core of wealthy ...
More
Underdevelopment is commonly associated with poverty, but it is more than that. Underdevelopment means an extremely unequal distribution of wealth and income. Capitalism has created a core of wealthy nations and, on their periphery, poor or moderately poor countries, among them Mexico. Underdeveloped countries do not simply dwell at an earlier point on the road taken by modern industrial states, but remain entrapped in a subservient role in a world capitalist economy. Underdevelopment afflicts a country that does not simply depend on the exports of what the land offers but also relies on a single market, the United States in the case of Mexico. That market decides the volume and character of the purchases and sets prices. In that manner, Americans dictate the nature of Mexico's subservient economy. This formula spells economic domination. It is the legacy of colonialism, when the Western powers saw the peripheral world as a source of cheap raw materials and food as well as a market for their manufactures. Yet economics alone, overwhelming as it is, cannot fully explain Mexico's underdevelopment.Less
Underdevelopment is commonly associated with poverty, but it is more than that. Underdevelopment means an extremely unequal distribution of wealth and income. Capitalism has created a core of wealthy nations and, on their periphery, poor or moderately poor countries, among them Mexico. Underdeveloped countries do not simply dwell at an earlier point on the road taken by modern industrial states, but remain entrapped in a subservient role in a world capitalist economy. Underdevelopment afflicts a country that does not simply depend on the exports of what the land offers but also relies on a single market, the United States in the case of Mexico. That market decides the volume and character of the purchases and sets prices. In that manner, Americans dictate the nature of Mexico's subservient economy. This formula spells economic domination. It is the legacy of colonialism, when the Western powers saw the peripheral world as a source of cheap raw materials and food as well as a market for their manufactures. Yet economics alone, overwhelming as it is, cannot fully explain Mexico's underdevelopment.
RAMóN EDUARDO RUIZ
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520262355
- eISBN:
- 9780520947528
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520262355.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
Western Europe and the United States have played leading roles in Mexico's story. That said, Mexican underdevelopment has two fathers, though one, the Spaniard, must bear the brunt of the ...
More
Western Europe and the United States have played leading roles in Mexico's story. That said, Mexican underdevelopment has two fathers, though one, the Spaniard, must bear the brunt of the responsibility. This story of Mexico begins to unfold long before Hernán Cortés and his intrepid band of Spaniards overwhelmed Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztecs, whio, like most societies on this earth, glorified warfare. A superstitious and fatalistic people, the Aztecs practiced a decayed and defunct theology, believing in a tempestuous and hostile universe presided over by capricious deities who had to be placated. Spain, to the despair of Mexico, had an intolerant, fanatical, and cruel underbelly, plus an economy harking back to the Dark Ages. Itself a colony of the developing countries of Europe, Spain set the stage for Mexican underdevelopment.Less
Western Europe and the United States have played leading roles in Mexico's story. That said, Mexican underdevelopment has two fathers, though one, the Spaniard, must bear the brunt of the responsibility. This story of Mexico begins to unfold long before Hernán Cortés and his intrepid band of Spaniards overwhelmed Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztecs, whio, like most societies on this earth, glorified warfare. A superstitious and fatalistic people, the Aztecs practiced a decayed and defunct theology, believing in a tempestuous and hostile universe presided over by capricious deities who had to be placated. Spain, to the despair of Mexico, had an intolerant, fanatical, and cruel underbelly, plus an economy harking back to the Dark Ages. Itself a colony of the developing countries of Europe, Spain set the stage for Mexican underdevelopment.
RAMóN EDUARDO RUIZ
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520262355
- eISBN:
- 9780520947528
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520262355.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
Adam Smith, the classical economist, called the discovery of America one of the “most important events in the history of mankind.” America's significance, he went on to say, lay not in its mines of ...
More
Adam Smith, the classical economist, called the discovery of America one of the “most important events in the history of mankind.” America's significance, he went on to say, lay not in its mines of silver and gold, but in the new and inexhaustible market for European goods. From that “discovery” emerged a New Spain, the ancestral mother of Mexico, a colony for three centuries, a hundred years longer than its independence. Those long centuries of Spanish hegemony set Mexico's contours. The European conquest and colonization of New Spain brought Western culture, the Spanish language, Catholicism, and Roman law, as well as an economic and political system. The conquest and later colony laid the basis for a capitalist economy. One other institution deserves careful scrutiny if we are to understand the background of Mexico's underdevelopment: the Catholic Church. But beneath the glitter of majestic cathedrals and the pomp and ceremony of the baroque years lay the ugly reality of colonialism.Less
Adam Smith, the classical economist, called the discovery of America one of the “most important events in the history of mankind.” America's significance, he went on to say, lay not in its mines of silver and gold, but in the new and inexhaustible market for European goods. From that “discovery” emerged a New Spain, the ancestral mother of Mexico, a colony for three centuries, a hundred years longer than its independence. Those long centuries of Spanish hegemony set Mexico's contours. The European conquest and colonization of New Spain brought Western culture, the Spanish language, Catholicism, and Roman law, as well as an economic and political system. The conquest and later colony laid the basis for a capitalist economy. One other institution deserves careful scrutiny if we are to understand the background of Mexico's underdevelopment: the Catholic Church. But beneath the glitter of majestic cathedrals and the pomp and ceremony of the baroque years lay the ugly reality of colonialism.
RAMóN EDUARDO RUIZ
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520262355
- eISBN:
- 9780520947528
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520262355.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
Mexico enjoyed a miracle of sorts when its gross domestic product tripled from 1940 to 1960, with manufacturing taking the lead. Much of this heady progress stemmed from the adoption of import ...
More
Mexico enjoyed a miracle of sorts when its gross domestic product tripled from 1940 to 1960, with manufacturing taking the lead. Much of this heady progress stemmed from the adoption of import substitution, begun earlier as simple ad hoc measures taken to shield particular local industries. The architects of these halcyon days were the magnates of industry and banking, and their allies in politics. With industrialization, Mexico would be proudly capitalistic, a paradise for private enterprise and a haven for the laws of supply and demand. Manuel Ávila Camacho, a disciple of the “free market,” went out of his way to restore the confidence of foreign investors. It was a rosy era for the burguesía, when admirers saw Mexican capitalism on the front lines of the battle against underdevelopment. All the same, the road was rocky. Corruption, never absent from the Mexican scene, took on a life of its own. Ultimately, the limited size of the Mexican market, more than any other roadblock, drove a spike into the heart of the miracle.Less
Mexico enjoyed a miracle of sorts when its gross domestic product tripled from 1940 to 1960, with manufacturing taking the lead. Much of this heady progress stemmed from the adoption of import substitution, begun earlier as simple ad hoc measures taken to shield particular local industries. The architects of these halcyon days were the magnates of industry and banking, and their allies in politics. With industrialization, Mexico would be proudly capitalistic, a paradise for private enterprise and a haven for the laws of supply and demand. Manuel Ávila Camacho, a disciple of the “free market,” went out of his way to restore the confidence of foreign investors. It was a rosy era for the burguesía, when admirers saw Mexican capitalism on the front lines of the battle against underdevelopment. All the same, the road was rocky. Corruption, never absent from the Mexican scene, took on a life of its own. Ultimately, the limited size of the Mexican market, more than any other roadblock, drove a spike into the heart of the miracle.
