|
|
| |
| “Poverty in the Developing Countries is caused by the Development of Underdevelopment”: Unpacking Andre Gunder Frank (1967) In Twenty First Century Third World Politics |
MAZI MBAH, C.C., DR. OJUKWU, U.G., MR. PETER BELUCHUKWU OKOYE
|
Abstract:
This study is a re-examination of the essence of Andre Gunder Frank’s (1967), landmark statement that “poverty in the developing countries is caused by the development of underdevelopment”, in which he held external forces arising from imperialism as being responsible for the poverty in the Third World. The main aim of the study is to re-evaluate Frank’s earlier statement in the light of contemporary Third World Politics using the Historical Descriptive method and Dependency Theoretical Framework of analysis. The study discovered that poverty is still at the root of Third World’s underdevelopment and is even growing at geometrical proportion in the developing countries in the 21st century. This makes Frank’s landmark statement of (1967), very much relevant today as it was the time he made it. But holding only external forces arising from imperialism whether old or new solely responsible for the growing poverty in the developing countries does not add up to explain the alarming rate of poverty increase and underdevelopment in the Third World in the 21st century. The study equally discovered that before the close of 20th century and within two decades into the 21st century that the developing countries under a United Third World Front known as the Non-Aligned Movement made formidable successful pressures on the United Nations and other international organizations on several issue areas to liberate their societies from underdevelopment orchestrated by poverty. As a result of the fore-goings the study came to the conclusion that many things are fundamentally wrong with manner and ways the Third World Societies conduct their domestic affairs. The study therefore recommends a reorganization of Third World Countries domestic, economic, political and social structures in line with the dawn of a New World Order of dynamism as the key to unlocking developing countries’ underdevelopment occasioned by their high level of poverty. Equally, the developed countries of Northern hemisphere should show humanitarian understanding in their dealings with the Third World Countries instead of their current imperial overlord orientations in their relations with the developing countries to correspond reasonably well with a New World Order of a Globalized village.
|
|
|
| | |