9/10/13

9/10/13

Amanda Pinkston
1. Gov Dept Writing Fellow
2. pinkston@fas.harvard.edu
3. Office Hours coming up
Why do some countries industrialize while some don't?
1. Industrialized
  1. Why and how did the west industrialize?
  2. Types of industrialization
    1. Market led
      1. US, UK
    2. State led
      1. Soviet Union
    3. Mixed
      1. Japan
2. Non industrialized
  1. What would it take to industrialize?
  2. Why did they have trouble industrializing
3. Definitions
  1. Economic Development
    1. "Development"
    2. Not democratization
4. Weber
  1. Why did capitalism take off in the west
    1. Cultural
      1. Protestant Reformation
        Spirit of capitalism existed prior to capitalism, itself.
        Not urge to make money
        Individualism
        Hard work, austery, saving, investment
        Luther
        Abandoned view of worldly activity as sinful
        Rather than priests and churches saving you, you had to save yourself
        Gave rise to the free thinking individual
        Calvinist
        Select few chosen to go to heaven
        Worldly activity seen as evidence of predestined godliness
        As such, one must lead a life of good work to prove their predestination
        Show evidence of hard work: Money
        Can't enjoy money
        Sinful
        Remain Austere
        Religious roots died out
        Utilitarian reasoning
        Save money and reinvest
        Greater entrepreneurial activity
        Not a capitalist
        Not a capitalist!
      2. Majority religions viewed money as dirty and sinful
  2. Argument at odds with aspects of classical economics
    1. Assume people everywhere want to work hard, NO MATTER WHAT CULTURAL BACKGROUND
    2. Weber: No assuptions. capitalist behavior is culturally specific. No reason to expect same behavior in west
      1. Based on his argument, prospects for capitalism in non-protestant countries is bleak
5. Modernization Theory
  1. 1950s
    1. Developing world under colonial rule
      1. Wave of decolonization
        Birth of new nation states
        New economic social institutions borne from scratch
  2. Political scientists begin to study the development of new nations
    1. Expectation: Newly independent countries in Africa/Middle East/Asia would develop relatively quickly
      1. Optimism
      2. These countries would come to resemble the west
    2. Became central to US policy
  3. Transition from traditional agricultural society to industrialized capitalist society
  4. Definition of traditional society
    1. Traditional beliefs
      1. religion
      2. magic, not science
      3. parochial
  5. Modern Society
    1. urban
    2. learned
    3. less parochial
  6. Unlike Weber, no link between certain culture/religion/ethics to modernization
    1. Primary difference between England, US on one hand and Bolivia on other is point in modernization path
      1. England = Bolivia's future
        ONE PATH TO DEVELOPMENT
        To become modern is to become like the west
        Q: What is the next step after the west?
        Marx also took west as single and only path
  7. How to transition?
    1. Education
      1. traditional men had to pick up modern, individualistic identities by coming in contact with modern men and institutions
      2. Carch 22
        Modernization theorists never fully dealt with this problem
    2. Rosdeau: 5 stages of development
      1. 1. agriculture, traditionalism
        2. Pre-conditions for takeoff
        spread of science and literacy
        burst of entrepreneurial activity
        3. Takeoff
        urbanization
        industrialization
        4. Drive to maturity
        5. high mass consumption
    3. Don't colonialism and slavery factor?
      1. Modernization theorists did not consider this!
    4. SINGLE PATH TO DEVELOPMENT
  8. 1990s
    1. resurgence of Modernization theory
  9. Cons
    1. Ignores culture and religion
    2. Ignores historical timing
      1. what is historical timing?
        Who are your models,
        Who are your competitors?
      2. International demonstration effect
        Refers to the expectations of other countries
        Expectations in 18th century england pretty low
        No need to develop quickly
        Expectations rise as world modernizes
        People want to see expectations met quickly
    3. ignores international context
      1. superpower or colonized?
      2. economic relationship to other countries?

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