Modernization, Dependency, and Interactionist Views of Global Stratification

All flashcards

What is modernization theory?

A perspective arguing that low-income countries can improve their economic standing through industrialization, economic growth, and changes in work-related cultural values and attitudes.

Why do critics describe modernization theory as potentially ethnocentric?

It can treat the development path and values of wealthy Western societies as a universal standard, while overlooking differences in resources, histories, local priorities, and cultural traditions.

What is dependency theory?

A perspective that explains global inequality as a result of unequal relationships in which core nations exploit or benefit from the dependence of semi-peripheral and peripheral nations.

How can lending and outsourcing relate to dependency?

Dependency theorists argue that lending decisions and labor arrangements can benefit dominant economies and limit the autonomy and stable growth of less powerful countries.

How does symbolic interactionism approach global stratification in Chang’s Factory Girls?

It examines how large-scale economic change is experienced through everyday interactions and meanings, including workers’ jobs, friendships, family relationships, possessions, and ambitions.

Quiz questions

1. According to modernization theory, what changes can help low-income countries improve their economic standing?Answer: Industrialization, economic growth, and shifts in work-related values.
2. What is a central criticism of modernization theory?Answer: It can treat one development path as universal despite differing histories, resources, and priorities.
3. How does dependency theory explain the persistence of global inequality?Answer: It argues that unequal relationships can benefit core nations and restrict less powerful nations’ independent growth.
4. How might some dependency theorists interpret outsourcing to a middle-income partner country?Answer: A dominant economy may support a partner’s capacity to provide labor while limiting the partner’s emergence as a competitor.
5. What does Chang’s account of Min and Chunming add to explanations focused on national economies?Answer: It shows how global production is experienced through workers’ relationships, ambitions, family ties, and choices.