Sociology of Development A Branch of Sociology

Sociology of development is likewise a branch of sociology. It studies the interface of

socio-cultural circumstances and the processes of development. This discipline
presumes that every aspect of development largely depends on sociological conditions
of society for its realization.

For example:

i. Economic development depends on entrepreneurship development and

entrepreneurship is a socio-psychological phenomenon.

ii. Market and consumption patterns are socially determined.

iii. Several sociological conditions define development. Gender equity, womens

education and their participation in economically gainful activities, increase of lifespan,

increase of literacy, advancement of democracy, reduction of infant mortality, reduction

of maternal deaths, reduction of death rate and birth rate are the sociological

phenomena which in combination determine the extent of development.

Sociology of development deals not only with industrialization and economic growth in a

country but also enquires into the relationships emerging as a consequence of

economic development.

Theories of underdevelopment and dependency are thus hot subjects of sociology of

development today as the gap between the rich and poor countries is increasing and

the latter are underdeveloped and dependent on developed countries which exploit

them.

v. Traditional societies do not offer the values which help development. Conformism,

intransigence, dogmatism and irrationalism do not facilitate development. Modernization

is a basic prerequisite for promotion of development. That is why; most characteristics

of modernization and development are common.

vi. Variations among different countries and different regions of a country exist not only

because of differential infrastructural conditions but largely due to differential socio-

cultural potentials among them.

The scope of sociology of development would most appropriately be understood by

making a distinction between the classical economics and the development economics

that emerged around the earlier years of the second half of the last century.

The classical or traditional economics was purely a study of political economy which

dealt with the relationship between politics and economics and analyzed the economic

laws of monopoly and dominance. Management of resources, markets and their best

appropriation and sustaining growth have been the prime substance of study.

The development economics has much wider scope of study. According to M.P. Todaro,

the development economics, in addition to being concerned with the efficient allocation

of existing scarce productive resources and with their sustained growth over time, must

also deal with the economic, social and institutional mechanisms, both public and

private, necessary for bringing about rapid (at least by historical standards) and large-

scale improvements in level of living for the poverty-stricken, malnourished, illiterate

people of Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The development economics thus concerns much with structural and institutional

transformations and human development. Sociology of development is quite close to

development economics with the only difference that the former locates sociological

laws and spheres that contribute to development and what social and cultural

consequences are entailed from development whereas the latter is concerned with the

task of tracing the cultural and institutional conditions which determine development in a

society.

Todaro is convinced that economics is a social science. It is concerned with human

beings and the social systems by which they organize their activities to satisfy their

basic material (food, shelter, clothes) and non-material needs (education, knowledge,

spiritual fulfillment). The economics can claim neither scientific laws nor universal truths.

Economic investigations and analyses, therefore, cannot simply be lifted out of their

institutional, social and political context, especially when one must deal with the human

dilemmas of hunger, poverty and ill-health, which plague greater portion of the worlds

population.
Todaro pleads for the necessity of recognizing ethical or normative value premises

about what is or is not the desirable central feature of the economic discipline in general

and of development economics in particular.

The concepts or goals, such as economic and social equality, elimination of poverty,

universal education, rising standards of living, national independence, modernization of

institutions, political and economic participation, grassroots democracy, self-reliance

and personal fulfillment all derive from subjective value judgments about what is good

and desirable and what is not.

Sociology of development is thus a social science discipline which studies economic

development from the point of view of social development. It attempts to explore the

linkages between social, cultural, political and institutional spheres, and the levels of

economic development in a society.

The discipline tries to understand how far the social, cultural, political and institutional

factors are facilitative or inhibitive to development. The ultimate aim of the subject is to

trace the non-economic factors of economic development.

Sociology of development is not primarily concerned with the analysis of economic

development at micro and macro levels in terms of the magnitude of economic

development linked with economic variables. It takes into account the economic perfor-

mance only to assess the role of social and cultural factors in this and suggests socio-

cultural requirements of development.

Sociology of development is, instead, primarily concerned with the nature of

relationships emerging among nations and different regions in a nation. The

relationships, which have so far been observed by the economists and sociologists, are

essentially of dependency as the nature of development is capitalist, of which

underdevelopment and dependency is the natural corollary. The world system theory is

an intellectual by-product of this kind of development.

Alternative Development theories for Local Development

Alternative Development theories for Local Development!

In the course of development of developmental theories the mainstream development
theories, such as growth oriented theories and others, have been severely criticised.
Gradually, alternative development theories have emerged to avoid the weakness of the
earlier theories. The alternative approaches and their methodologies have emerged as
development paradigm indicating a theoretical break from the mainstream development
approaches.

Some of the alternative theories are concerned with local development. Dependency
theory, one of alternative to the mainstream development theories, is concerned with
structural macroeconomic changes in the non- western societies in the line of western
societies. There is another alternative development approach that emphasises the
capacity of people to bring about change with development. This development approach
depends on different means: participatory action and people centred development. It
does not depend on the other societies or countries for its own development.

Since 1970 onwards alternative development approaches have emerged as people

centred development. This development is geared to the satisfaction of needs of the
people for whom development is directed. The alternative development is also known
as endogenous development. This approach has its own distinct methods associated
with it. Usually participatory method is also used for such approach.

The participatory method initiates development process within the community and take
into consideration the basic needs of the people for their development. The alternative
developments are different from the earlier development approaches in respect of their
methodology; a participatory, endogenous, self-sufficient and objectives oriented.

Therefore, development here must be undertaken from within the people and geared to
their basic needs. Hettne believes that these are mainstream approaches. He puts least
emphasis on the idea of de-modernisation and anti-development theories.

In course of the development of developmental theories, the alternative development

approaches have been institutionalised as part of mainstream development. The
alternative development is accepted as progressive, but not radical; it does not embrace
any clear ideology and this could be absorbed by the mainstream development
ideology. Hettne presents another development which is combination of the basic
needs, self-reliance, sustainable and endogenous development. But this could not be
developed as a paradigm or alternative model.

Today there is not much differences between the approaches of alternative

development and mainstream development. The components of alternative
development approach like, participation and sustainability have been adopted by the
mainstream development. There is no difference in principles. Gradually, this approach
has become popular as Mainstream Alternative Development (MAD).