THE UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM

MBEYA COLLAGE OF HEALTH AND ALLIED SCIENCIES.

DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES.

ASSIGNMENT REPORT.

NAME: SWAY, JANETH JOHN

REG No: 2018-04-01902

PROGRAMME: DOCTOR OF MEDICINE.

ASSIGNMENT No 1

QN.
Modernization theory and dependence theory both offers arguments that attempts to explain the
process of development, however they differ in their context and each theory gives insight into
one or more dimensions of the complex process of development. Justify this statement while
showing how modernization theory differs from dependency theory.
 As the world growing rapidly all across the globe and the enhanced integrations of countries,
there’ve been rapid developments especially after 2nd world war in 1945, there were different
theories that tried to explain the relationship between developing and developed countries, these
are modernization and dependency theory which explain why there’s a huge difference between
third world countries and the developed countries.

Modernization theory emerged in 1950’s which explained the process of modernization within
the societies as a progressive transition from pre-modern to modern societies and it tries to
explain why there is a wide gap and what contributed to these differences for instance professor
Nurske and professor Rastor tried to explain the modernization theory. On the other hand
dependence emerged as the reaction to modernization theory. It occurs when some countries
especially the developing countries expands as the reflection of the expansion of the dominant
countries.

According to dependency theory underdevelopment is mainly caused by the peripheral position

of affected countries in the world economy, as the developed countries offers cheap labor and
raw materials in the world market, these resources are sold to advanced economy which have a
means to transform them to finished goods and the underdeveloped countries end up purchasing
the finished goods at a high price.

In this theory the third world countries are incapable of making an alternative path and this result
in a viscous cycle that perpetuate the division in the world economy.

The following are the differences between modernization theory and dependence theory.

(1). Modernization theory explains on education, technology and mass media as a major reason
that developed regions are populated from others, however it does not explain on a global where
the resources, labor and power come from to make this development possible, all of the
progresses in the regions or states come from a collective internal efforts WHILE dependency
theory picks up the pieces and connects the dots where modernization theory leave a room for
interpretation.

(2).Modernization theory describes the transformation process of societies from

underdevelopment to modern societies without being dependent or exploited, it’s purely an
internal factor based on various societal processes and developing countries are still at a stage
where they’ve not yet reached modernization WHILE dependency theory highlights that the
inequality in the world system where the developing countries are exploited refrain due to
colonial and post colonial endeavors the countries from peripheral are constantly exploited by
the developed countries.
Dependency theory highlights that the world system is organized in such a way that the
developing countries are always economically dependent and exploited by the wealthy countries,
for instance most colonial empires exploited various minerals, metals and other products from
their colonies this allowed them to emerge as industrial, wealthy empires also they promoted
slavery o as the production cost can be minimized for their benefits.

(3).In Modernization theory the resources can be utilized by the developing countries
themselves, the resources canters is directly benefits to the indigenous, as all products were
expected to be prepared and finished here, though it’d take a long time since it is a process but he
beneficiaries would still be indigenous WHILE in dependency theory the resources are mainly
consumed by developed countries under the umbrella that developing countries lack mechanized
and modern technology of how to turn the materials instead the materials are exported and even
when are brought back to the developing countries they can’t afford the costs, for example a
large amount of cotton are taken from Tanzania to western countries but the clothes made from
them are sold at a very high price

CONCLUTION

Dependency theory emerged as a reaction to modernization theory while modernization theory

emerged in 1950’s, thus from the above discussions it is evident that modernization and
dependency theories are quite similar in their views related to the modern world. Both theories
agree to the fact that the mutual cooperation between developing and western countries is
growing leading to integrations.
REFERENCES:

1. Kate Wills, theories and practices of development, London Routledge 2005

2. Gilman, N Mandarins of the future, modernization theory in cold war America

3. Scott Catherine V, gender and development, rethinking modernization and dependency theory.

4. Modernization dictionary

5. www.britannica.com

6. Dependency and Development in Latin America. By Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Faletto
Enzo. University of California Press, 1979

7. Political Order in Changing Societies. By Samuel P. Huntington. Yale University Press, 1968

8. Modernization and Bureaucratic-Authoritarianism. By Guillermo A. O'Donnell. University of

California Press, 1973.

9. Modernization, Cultural Change, and Democracy: The Human Development Sequence. By

Ronald Inglehart and Christian Welzel. Cambridge University Press, 2005.

10. Modernization: Theories and Facts." By Adam Przeworski and Fernando Limongi. World
Politics 49 (January 1997): pp. 155-183