POLI 244 > week 2 > Flashcards

week 2 Flashcards

(106 cards)

Study These Flashcards
1
Q

what are the two broad approaches that have dominated political analyses of developing countries?

A

1) politics of modernisation (political development theory and revisions)

2) Marxist-inspired approach (dependency theory and neo-Marxist analysis)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what theory partially subsumed both modernisation and Marist approaches by the 1980s?

A

globalisation theory - emphasised global economic integration and its cultural and political consequences

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

when and where did the politics of modernisation emerge?

A

USA during the 1950s

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what was the ideological orientation of moderisation theory?

A

mainstream liberal or pro-capitalist perspective

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what question does the politics of autonomy raise?

A

how far politics is determined by economic, social, or cultural forces, and how far it independently affects them

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what three approaches inform most studies of politics in developing countries?

A

modernisation theory, Marxist-inspired theory, and globalisation theory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what two social science developments influenced comparative politics?

A

1) behavioural revolution (application of natural scientific methods to social sciences)

2) sociological/economic interests in modelling processes of modernisation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what assumptions underlay modernisation theory?

A

western modernisation offered a valuable model or guide for developing countries

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

who developed the structural functional approach in comparative politics?

A

Gabriel Almond

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what was Gabriel Almond’s framework based on?

A

comparing political systems through political functions and structures; foundation for his concept of political development

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what were Almond’s four input functions?

A

political socialisation, political recruitment, interest articulation, and interest aggregation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what were Almond’s output functions?

A

rulemaking, rule implementation, and rule adjudication; with political communication as a pervasive function

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

How did Almond define political development originally?

A

Process through which political functions become increasingly associated with specialised structures.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What five system capabilities did Almond later identify?

A

Extractive, regulative, distributive, symbolic, and responsive.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

According to Almond, what problems do system capabilities help address?

A

State-building, nation-building, participation, and distribution.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What criticism was made of Almond’s model?

A

Excessive diversity and lack of consensus on the meaning of political development.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is “modernisation revisionism”?

A

A critique of the oversimplified separation of “tradition” and “modernity” and their interrelationship.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What did modernisation revisionists argue about tradition and modernity?

A

Modernisation doesn’t eliminate traditional elements like caste and ethnicity; it may revitalise them in new forms.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What political relationship became central in modernisation revisionism?

A

Patron-client relationships.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

How did patron-client relationships evolve with greater modernisation?

A

Peasants/clients relied on local brokers mediating with the state; even “modern” institutions often operated through informal patronage.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Which sociologist’s typology was used to explain patronage systems?

A

Max Weber’s typology of forms of rule — leading to concepts of patrimonialism and neo-patrimonialism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Why is understanding patronage and clientelism valuable?

A

It reveals the persistence of informal power structures within modern political systems.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Who argued that political decay was more relevant than political development?

A

Samuel Huntington (1971).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What did Samuel Huntington argue about economic growth and stability?

A

Rapid growth from low starting points destabilises fragile institutions; what matters is not form of government but degree of government.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What was the main criticism of Huntington’s “politics of order” perspective?
It was inherently conservative and authoritarian.
26
What argument did some experts make regarding democracy in low-income countries?
Democratic governance may be inappropriate for economic development; strong government may be preferable (seen in the developmental state and Beijing Consensus).
27
What is the “developmentalist state”?
Model advocating repressive politics combined with high-speed economic growth.
28
What later model echoed Huntington’s strong government idea?
The Beijing Consensus.
29
What perspective opposed the politics of modernisation school?
The Marxist-inspired approach, which viewed modernisation as reflecting bourgeois or capitalist interests.
30
What did the Marxist-inspired approach emphasise?
The determining role of economic production/exchange and the class relations embedded within them.
31
What major shortcoming of political development theory did Marxist approaches highlight?
Neglect of the international context — the assumption that developing-country politics were shaped only by domestic forces.
32
Who is associated with dependency theory?
Andre Gunder Frank (1969).
33
What did Frank argue about the world economy?
The developing world has been incorporated into the capitalist world system since the sixteenth century.
34
What is the relationship between the metropolis and the periphery in dependency theory?
Development of the core (metropolis) depends on the underdevelopment of the periphery (developing world).
35
What did Frank call the developing and developed regions?
Developed world = metropolis/core; developing world = satellites/periphery.
36
What caused continuing dependency according to Frank?
The metropolis extracts most economic surplus through monopoly and unequal exchange, keeping the periphery dependent.
37
What was Frank’s proposed solution to dependency?
Initially, drastically reduce ties with the metropolis (though he later acknowledged this was unrealistic).
38
Who are the comprador class in dependency theory?
Local elites aligned with metropolitan capital; they benefit from maintaining the status quo.
39
What did Frank believe was the only route to change?
Revolution by those most exploited in the global chain.
40
What were criticisms of dependency theory?
Overly deterministic and economically reductionist; ignored political and social variation.
41
Who introduced the concept of the semi-periphery?
Immanuel Wallerstein (1979).
42
What are semi-peripheral countries according to Wallerstein?
States like the East Asian Tigers that improved their world-system position and offered hope for others on the periphery.
43
What did neo-Marxist critics reject about dependency theory?
Its crude economic determinism and its mistaken equation of capitalism with the market, instead of a mode of production.
44
Who focused on the post-colonial state’s autonomy?
Hamza Alavi.
45
What were Alavi’s two reasons for post-colonial state autonomy?
(1) It mediates between three ruling classes; (2) It inherited an ‘overdeveloped’ colonial state apparatus originally designed for repression.
46
When did globalisation theory emerge as a dominant approach?
By the 1990s.
47
What is the main focus of globalisation theory?
Processes of accelerated communication and economic integration that transcend national borders and form a single social system.
48
What is the most important dimension of globalisation?
Economic — particularly global trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), and finance.
49
What counter-trends have arisen due to cultural globalisation?
Reassertion of local and national cultural identities.
50
What do globalisation theorists differ on?
The primary mechanism driving the globalisation process.
51
What does globalisation reveal about developed countries?
Each has its own underclass, though there is little sign of a unified global underclass.
52
What do globalisation pessimists emphasise?
Negative traits — U.S. cultural dominance, growing global inequality.
53
What is the anti-globalisation movement also called?
The global justice movement.
54
When did the global justice movement emerge?
Late 1980s.
55
How does the global justice movement view globalisation?
As the global spread of neoliberal ideology and corporate power.
56
What perspective has criticised globalisation theory?
The gender perspective.
57
How does globalisation affect nation-states?
Reduces state autonomy and control over information, security, and legitimacy.
58
Why is the reduced autonomy of the state significant for developing countries?
It makes them especially vulnerable to external economic and political pressures.
59
What is ‘new regionalism’?
A state-led project (from the 1980s) to reorganise a regional space along economic and political lines.
60
What argument do critics of the globalisation hypothesis make?
It exaggerates threats to the nation-state — many states (e.g., East Asian NICs) have benefited and even strengthened through globalisation.
61
How might states use nationalism in the face of globalisation?
As an alternative source of legitimacy against globalising pressures.
62
What are three key foreground developments in globalisation contexts?
Democratisation, the politics–economics relationship, and security/conflict dynamics.
63
What role did democratisation play in globalisation?
Expanded globally via internal pressures, the collapse of the Eastern bloc, and Western/IGO democracy promotion.
64
How has politics–economics relationship evolved under globalisation?
“Good governance” and even democracy are seen as prerequisites for growth; civil society and social capital play greater economic roles.
65
How does peace and security relate to globalisation?
Emphasis on balancing peace, stability, and development versus conflict and risk.
66
How does China complicate the concept of the developing world?
Its rise challenges the North–South distinction; internally, China has its own “north” and “south.”
67
What is the Beijing Consensus?
China’s model of state-led, high-growth development with repressive politics — a potential alternative to neoliberal globalisation.
68
What concerns exist about Chinese foreign aid in Africa?
Conditionality and influence attached to aid.
69
What does the “development as a buzzword” reading argue? (Rist)
“Development” transformed coloniser–colonised relations into seemingly equal ones, masking power hierarchies.
70
What was the dominant post–WWII view of development?
Time, money, and political will could close the gap between “developed” and “underdeveloped” countries (Truman era optimism).
71
Why was “development” appealing globally?
It promised happiness, social improvement, and international justice.
72
Why did ‘development’ start “buzzing” in dominant discourse?
It rested on unexamined assumptions and lacked a clear definition.
73
What does it mean that development became “performative”?
Saying or invoking “development” justified action — “doing by saying.”
74
How did ‘development’ justify contradictory policies?
Any policy could be framed as serving development, even if it harmed the poor.
75
How did the meaning of ‘development’ shift?
From a social or political project to a “natural” and desirable world order.
76
What phrase did the Brundtland Commission coin?
“Sustainable development.”
77
Why is “sustainable development” considered vague?
It reconciles conflicting goals (growth + environmental protection) without resolving contradictions.
78
According to Rist, why does the idea of development persist?
It aligns with a modern belief system that functions like religion — sustaining social cohesion
79
How are failures of development explained within this belief system?
Attributed to poor implementation, not flaws in the idea of development itself.
80
What transformation marks the beginning of “development”?
Turning common land into private property — transforming nature into “resources” and people into “human resources.”
81
What does Rist say about developed countries and “free things”?
The more developed a country is, the fewer free goods remain available.
82
What are Rist’s criticisms of modern development?
Environmental destruction, overexploitation of resources, and mass impoverishment.
83
What does Rist mean by “development as religion”?
Development functions as a belief system commanding faith and guiding social behaviour, like religion.
84
What is the central thesis of Amartya Sen’s Development as Freedom (1999)?
Development should be understood as the expansion of human freedom — both as the primary end and the principal means of development.
85
What does Sen argue against in conventional development theory?
The reduction of development to economic growth, industrialisation, or income levels.
86
What is Sen’s definition of freedom?
The ability of people to lead the kind of lives they value and to have reason to value.
87
What are Sen’s five instrumental freedoms?
(1) Political freedoms, (2) Economic facilities, (3) Social opportunities, (4) Transparency guarantees, (5) Protective security.
88
How does Sen view the relationship between freedoms and development?
They are interrelated — expanding one enhances others; development requires simultaneous progress in all.
89
What is the “capability approach”?
Sen’s concept focusing on people’s actual ability to achieve valued functionings — not just their formal rights or resources.
90
What distinction does Sen make between capabilities and functionings?
Capabilities = the real opportunities to achieve outcomes; Functionings = the outcomes themselves (what people actually do or are).
91
What does Sen say about poverty?
Poverty should be seen as capability deprivation, not just low income.
92
How does Sen link political freedom to economic development?
Democratic rights and political participation prevent famines and promote welfare by ensuring accountability.
93
What example does Sen give to show democracy’s importance?
No substantial famine has ever occurred in a functioning democracy.
94
How does Sen’s view contrast with authoritarian developmentalism?
Rejects the idea that repression promotes development; true progress depends on empowering people and expanding choices.
95
How does Sen’s approach connect to moral philosophy?
Draws on Aristotle and John Stuart Mill — development as ethical enhancement, not just material advancement.
96
What institutions align with Sen’s ideas?
UNDP’s Human Development Index (HDI) and human rights–based approaches to development policy.
97
What criticism has Sen’s model faced?
Hard to operationalise and measure; criticised for being idealistic and vague in policy application.
98
What was the core question uniting development theories?
How can developing countries achieve political stability, economic growth, and social progress in the modern world?
99
What major divide runs through development debates?
Structural/economic explanations (Marxist, dependency) vs. political/institutional ones (modernisation, globalisation, governance).
100
How has the concept of development evolved over time?
From economic growth → political stability → social justice → human capabilities → sustainability.
101
What does “path dependence” mean in political development?
Institutional choices and historical trajectories shape and constrain future political outcomes.
102
What is the “Washington Consensus”?
A neoliberal agenda (IMF/World Bank) promoting marketisation, privatisation, and fiscal austerity.
103
What is the “post-Washington Consensus”?
A later model adding poverty reduction and “good governance” to neoliberal principles
104
What does “path of dependence” highlight about institutions?
Institutional patterns are self-reinforcing and persist even after their original purposes fade.
105
What is meant by “convergence” in development?
Despite diversity, developing countries show growing similarities due to global economic and political trends.
106
How did globalisation reshape the developing world?
Reduced state autonomy, encouraged neoliberal reforms, and diversified development trajectories.
POLI 244
flashcards
Decks in class (13)
# Cards
Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2026 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions