This book focuses on the role of the state in economic development in a variety of Third World settings during the past several decades. The author examines three major development theories: developmentalist, dependency, and Marxist. He then critically analyzes these theories and their variants to set the stage for a detailed examination of various alternative development paths.

Two paths of capitalist development are contrasted: the export-oriented neo-colonial model and the import-substituting state-capitalist model. The role of the state in each of these alternatives is discussed in the context of the balance of class forces.

This book also provides case studies of Turkey, Tanzania, Peru, and India -- countries in which the state has played a significant role in the development process. In each case, it is demonstrated that the process of state-capitalist development inevitably leads to neo-colonialism. This neo-colonial path ties Third World countries to centers of world capitalism, with all the consequent contradictions that such a linkage entails.

The book outlines the class nature of these contradictions on a global scale and maps out the balance of class forces and struggles, the role of the state, and the resultant revolutionary developments that are part of the process of social change and transformation now underway in many Third World countries. Also included is an appendix highlighting the need for a class-centered approach in development studies.

 Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments 

Introduction

Part I: Theories of Development

1.   Theories of Development and Modernization:  A Critique of Developmentalism  

2.  Dependency and the World System:  Two Alternative Theories of Development  

3.  The Controversy over Imperialism and Development:  The Marxist Alternative

 

Part II:  Paths of Capitalist Development in the Third World

 

4.   Export-Oriented Industrialization in the Third World: Its Nature and Contradictions  

5.   The Role of the Imperial State in the World Political Economy

6.  State Capitalism in the Third World

Part III: Case Studies of the State and Development in the Third World

7.   Class, State, and Development in the Middle East: The Case of Turkey  

8.   The Role of the State in Development in Asia: The Experience of India  

9.  The State and Development in Africa:  Focus on Tanzania

10. Military Rule and the Politics of Development in Latin America: The Case of Peru  

Conclusion:  The Prospects for Change in the Third World

Appendix:  On the Necessity of a Class Analysis Approach in Development Studies  

Notes

Bibliography

Index

To read the "Introduction","Conclusion", and "Appendix" of this book, click here [pdf file]

Publication date:  1992

ISBN:  0-7914-0909-0 (cloth)

0-7914-0910-4 (paper)

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