Promises Not Kept Summary

3. Isbister sets forth several explanations of underdevelopment in his book, Promises Not Kept. Three examples are modernization, dependency, and Marxism. Isbister opens the chapter on explanation of underdevelopment by explaining the most of the people living in countries located in Asia, South America, and Africa are in poverty. These countries again are the third world. These countries are plagued with danger, uncertainty, and danger. Scientists established different approaches to help us understand why there is poverty in the world and to help answer the question on why poverty still exists. Isbister wants us to understand why “the Promise of a better life has been empty for so many people.” The three cases that Isbister uses he …show more content…
The main point is that they mainly see poverty in the third world as being basically internal as opposed to be external. The element of focus is that of “traditional society”. The problem with this type of society, according to modernization view is unchangeable, therefore is seen as the reason for being a significant factor of underdevelopment. They view life as circular, “not linear and progressive; one always returns to the same place.” The values are spiritual and not driven on innovative progress or self-betterment. In the modernization theory the economic view is that society leads a very poor way of life, a life that repeats the ways of their ancestors instead of trying to gain income and wealth. Modernizationists believe that if society stays in the traditional way they there can be no needed changes, scientific innovations, and breakthroughs such as capital or technology. The results of such will be absolutely no development. I think that under this theory the solution towards development has 5 distinct stages which are comparable to that of an airplane taking off. These stages are the path that underdeveloped countries must take in order to reach …show more content…
Social scientists under this school argue that poverty is not internal but external. They believe that poverty is created due to capitalism. “They believe the growth of today’s rich countries has impoverished the third world and the forces of international capitalism still block its progress”. The main component of focus is the undesirable aspects of the capitalist system and how it exploits the developing countries to keep them poor. The dependency theory in my opinion keeps developing countries in a state of poverty because of their relationship with the developed or rich countries. The theorists in this theory differ with the modernization theory’s idea of nations being traditional and unchanging. I think that the ones that follow the dependency theory seem to argue that the developing nations do not have traditions left. The solution to the poverty plague that is happening is the third world is a “fight with fire”; fight the capitalist system that is oppressing. There are not many solutions with doing away from poverty in this theory. They do believe the best way is on the international scene. This would include a socialist world government completely reforming the relationship between the developed and developing