The Political Economy of UnderdevelopmentThe division of the world into rich and poor nations, and the division within poor nations between a minority of rich people and a majority of poor people living at a minimum subsistence level, has been obvious to careful observers for a long time. This book gives an overview of the problems of underdevelopment confronting third-world countries, making use of both Marxist and neo-Keynesian methods of analysis. It makes clear the historical origins of these contemporary problems, particularly with reference to the major countries of Asia and Latin America, and discusses the ways in which inequalities, both within and between countries, are propaged and perpetuated. Other problems analysed are the typical patterns of fluctuating growth faced by third-world countries; the social structures in both rural and urban areas and their influence on the behaviour of governments and private investors in these countries; and environmental control and population planning issues faced by these countries. Finally, an introduction is provided to the planning methods adopted by most third-world countries and the hurdles such planning has encountered. The illustrations are drawn widely from among third-world countries. |
Contents
Political economy and the study of social change in the third world | 1 |
Methods of exploitation and the phenomenon of economic retardation | 20 |
Underdevelopment in Latin America historical roots | 41 |
Colonialism in Asia Indonesia India China | 69 |
Growth and fluctuations in economically retarded societies | 112 |
Rural classes land reforms and agrarian change | 147 |
Labour capital and the state | 179 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
advanced capitalist countries African agricultural Amerindian areas Argentina Bagchi balance of payments Bank bourgeoisie Brazil Britain British capitalist class cent chapter Chile China Chinese colonial comprador bourgeoisie consumer crops cultivation demand dominated Dutch effect enterprises Europe European example expenditure exploitation exports factors farm farmers feudal firms foodgrains foreign capital Green Revolution import substitution income increase India Indonesia industrial capitalism investment irrigation Kuomintang labour labour power land reforms landless landlords Latin America maize major manufacturing million monopoly nineteenth century opium organization output Pakistan particularly peasantry period phase planning plantations policies political poor peasants population growth precapitalist production profitable programmes railways rate of growth redistribution regime retarded ruling classes rural sharecropping slaves social society Spanish subsistence surplus surplus value tenants third world third world countries third world economies trade transnational urban wages West Pakistan western workers