Outline the process of economic and social change envisaged by Essay

Outline the process of economic and social change envisaged by Modernisation Theorists. Critically discuss their contention that the Western model of developmen - Essay Example ry have been thoroughly examined by researchers trying to identify its strengths/ weaknesses but also its role in the development of less – benefited countries (referring especially to the countries of the Third World). It should be noticed that the development of modernization theory has been quick and multi-dimensional – possibly influenced by the simultaneous development of globalization (Dtiglitz, 2002). Trying to locate the historical roots of this theory, Blaney et al. (2002) was led to the conclusion that modernization theory could have started in the previous centuries having being transformed through the years in order to meet the new political and social standards – the so-called – neo modernization theory. Regarding this issue it is noticed by the above researchers that since the putative end of the Cold War, modernization is increasingly reimagined as a global process— as an expanding liberal zone of peace, a global civil society, or as emerging forms of global governance’ (Blaney et al., 2002, 103). This form of modernization theory has been also characterized as being part of the International Relations – a concept developed through the years in order to explain the models of cooperation among the states, the role of governments, and the power of international authorities/ bodies to intervene in order to settle disputes of international character – being developed between members of the international community. The above role of modernization theory in the development of international relations has been explained by Blaney et al. (2002) as follows: ‘while modernization theory implicitly relies on IRs freezing of difference into geopolitical containers, it also projects a natural and universal developmental sequence through which all cultures must pass’ (Blaney et al., 2002, 103). Under these terms, modernization theory could be regarded as being part of the political efforts for the improvement of cooperation among the states