How then, could it be possible that the states in these regions are concurrently unable to provide their populations with good-living, and for what reasons? According to the Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, “the dependency theory” is a set of theories which maintain that the failure of Third World states to achieve adequate and sustainable levels of development results from their dependence on the advanced capitalist world.
In other words, according to the dependency theory, the explanation for the economic (under) development of states in the Global South should be viewed in terms of the external, political, economic, and cultural influences on national development policies.
It has often been argued, for example, that Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP’s) introduced by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to much of Africa are the very reasons for the continent’s high levels of foreign debt.
Having said that, third world states need to foster internal accountability and good governance. While Third World countries are documented as the poorest and most vulnerable countries in the world, they are also reported to be the most corrupt.
The Berlin-based organisation, Transparency International reports that the most corrupt states in the world are for the most part located in the Global South, with Somalia, Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Iraq topping the list.
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Furthermore, Third World leaders borrow too much from the colonial rhetoric of yester-year. It is far too late in the evening to base prospective development policies on the political sloganeering of yesterday morning — the very reason Julius Malema’s nationalisation drive cannot work.
What’s needed is a committed spirit of diligence that will see the periphery through the night, and move on to a new dawn. Developed countries have set an example.
Understandably, the liberation histories of Africa and the rest of the developing world should not be forgotten. However, a blind beggar migrating with his family in search of greener pastures is a pitiful sight, to say the least, and ultimately, it demonstrates that Third World states, when judged against Aristotle’s standard, have failed.
Tau Tawengwa
