Capitalism And The Third World

Capitalism and the Third World is the first comprehensive assessment of dependency and world systems scholarship, and questions whether such theories offer a scientific basis for the study of international relations. Wil Hout skilfully compares the theories of dependency and world systems with their theoretical predecessors and competitors. In the first part of the book comparisons are made with traditional economic and neo-Marxist theories of imperialism, the liberal theory of international free trade, Prebisch's structuralism and modernisation theories. The second part analyses the writings of Andre Gunder Frank, Samir Amin, Johan Galtung and Immanuel Wallerstein, and tests three causal models derived from the writings of these scholars using quantitative macro-political and macro-economic data. This valuable study will be widely used for courses on international political economy and development economics. It will be of particular interest to those studying the political economy of North-South relations.

In Marx's familiar dictum, the more-developed country shows the less developed an image of its own future. Turning this idea upside down, In the Mirror of the Third World looks to the contemporary Third World for a reflection of European history. The resulting view challenges standard accounts of European social, economic, and political development. Sandra Halperin's analysis of the European experience begins where studies of Third World development often start: considering the legacies of colonial domination. Europe also had a colonial past, she reminds us, and the states of Europe, like those of today's Third World, were the product of colonialism and imperialism. From this starting point, Halperin traces features characteristic of Third World development through the history of European capitalism: enclave economies oriented to foreign markets; weak middle classes; alliances among the state, traditional landowning elites, and new industrial classes; unstable and partial democracy; sharp inequalities; and increasing poverty—all as much a part of European society on the eve of World War I as they are of developing countries today. Halperin also emphasizes the emergence of a militant, literal religion in Europe and its critical role in the class struggles of the nineteenth century.

Analyzes and interprets political development theory from a critical Marxist perspective. The central theme is the emergence of a separate doctrine for political development in the wake of disillusionment with the prospects of building a universal theory, interpreted by the author as a transitional program for the installation and consolidation of capitalist regimes in the Third World. Topics include capitalism and democracy in the post-war period; the search for a theory of development; functionalism; political culture; and the comparative historical approach. Distributed by Books International. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Textbook comprising a comparison of economic systems - reviews the historical evolution of capitalism and socialism, etc., and contrasts economic policies and problems in developed capitalist countries, in the USSR and other planned economies, and in the developing countries. Bibliography pp. 221 to 230 and statistical tables.

Corbridge provides a fascinating review of the conflict of interest between metropolitan capitalism and the development of the periphery of the modern world system.

Cites case studies from US metropolitan areas to argue that the traditional theories of monopoly capitalism and world systems are inadequate to analyze the emerging international capitalist economy. Also examines the new relationships between economics, politics, and governments. Paper edition (unseen), $16.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The contributors to this book review key problems relating to the Third World from different theoretical perspectives within the framework of Marxian and allied theory. The first section deals with various theoretical problems related to an understanding of the Third World. The second section contains articles on the Marxian concept of the Asiatic mode of production. The third section examines the application of Marxian theory to enable an understanding of Third World realities.