This presentation sought to examine

1. GROUP ONE (1)

2.  The development-dependency perspective, also known
as “the dependency theory of development” evolved around
1950 as a reaction to some earlier theories of development.
 The theory was popular in the 1960s and 1970s as a
criticism of modernization theory.
 The main propounders of dependency theory were:
Prebisch, Singer, Paul Baran, Paul Sweezy, C. Furtado, F
H Cardoso, Gunnar Myrdal, A Gunder Frank, Girvan, and
Bill Warren.

3.  Dependency theory or “dependencia” theory is
a body of social science theories predicated on the
notion that resources flow from a "periphery" of
poor and underdeveloped states to a "core" of
wealthy states, enriching the latter at the expense
of the former.
 It is a central contention of dependency theory that
poor states are impoverished and rich ones
enriched by the way poor states are integrated into
the "world system."

4.  The theory arose as a reaction
to modernization theory which held that
today's underdeveloped areas are in a similar
situation to that of today's developed areas
at some time in the past, and that therefore
the task in helping the underdeveloped areas
out of poverty is to accelerate them along a
supposed common path of development, by
various means such as investment,
technology transfers, and closer integration
into the world market.

5.  Dependency theory rejected this view,
arguing that underdeveloped countries are
not merely primitive versions of developed
countries, but have unique features and
structures of their own; and, importantly,
are in the situation of being the weaker
members in a world market economy

6.  Poor nations provide natural resources, cheap
labor, a destination for obsolete technology, and
markets for developed nations, without which the
latter could not have the standard of living they
enjoy.
 Wealthy nations actively perpetuate a state of
dependence by various means. This influence
may be multifaceted, involving economics, media
control, politics, banking and finance, education,
culture, sport, and all aspects of human
resource-development (including recruitment and
training of workers).

7.  Wealthy nations actively counter attempts by
dependent nations to resist their influences by means
of economic sanctions and/or the use of military
force.
 Dependency theory states that the poverty of the
countries in the periphery is not because they are not
integrated into the world system, or not 'fully'
integrated as is often argued by free market
economists, but because of how they are integrated
into the system.

8.  This perspective collapses all social, cultural and institutional
factors that mediate population-environment relationships into
the larger concept of 'development‘.
 It focuses on the way in which development processes mediate
population and the environment relations.
 It lays more emphasis particularly on development trends
which have kept the south 'dependent' on the North, e.g.
mercantile exploitation and export of natural resources
towards manufacturing centers in the North.

9.  This "dependency perspective" (Jolly 1991) stresses the
overwhelming role that common international, political and
economic forces play in shaping both demographic factors such
as population growth and environmental outcomes such as
degradation in developing countries.
 This approach further suggests that even major global
environmental problems (depletion of ozone, greenhouse effects,
toxic waste accumulation and loss of biodiversity) are the direct
results of the prevailing model of development (Martine 1992 and
1993).

10.  The concept of dependency is much too vague to be of
use, failing to clarify sufficiently the sense in which
poor South are dependent on rich North. (O’Brien 1975,
p.24)
 In describing the character of the poor South
dependency, their work appears to argue that Third
World Countries are static. (Cardoso, 1979)
 They failed to examine the way in which surplus is
extracted through the system of production that
prevails in the poor south countries. (Laclau, 1971)
 They also fail to analyse production relation properly.
(Warren,1980,p.170)

11. In conclusion the dependency theory arose as a
reaction to the modernization theory, which
held that all societies progress through similar
stages of development by means of technology,
investments and closer integration into the
world market.
However, the dependency perspective stresses
the overwhelming role that common
international, political and economic forces play
in shaping both demographic factors, such as
population growth and environmental outcomes
such as degradation in developing countries.

12.  Amin, S. (1976), Unequal Development: An Essay on the
Social Formations of Peripheral Capitalism, New York:
Monthly Review Press
 Cardoso, F.H. and Enzo Faletto (1979), Dependency and
Development in Latin America, Berkeley CA, California
University Press.
 Jolly, C (1991) Four theories of population change in the
environment. Paper presented at Population Association
of America Annual meeting, Washington, D.C 21-23 March
1991
 Martine, G. (1992). Population, environment and
development: key issues for the end-of-century
scenario. Paper presented at the Workshop on Population
Programme Policies: New Directions,
organized by UNFPA and NESDB, Chiang Mai, September,