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Remembering Wallerstein's Remedies. by Adam Starr 13 March 2002 21:29 UTC |
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Hello WSN World, In light of the explosion of debate that has occurred over the last couple of days (which I believe is healthy), I've found myself not entirely satsified with my arguement. Upon consideration of how impliment policy based upon World System Theory, I found myself up at 2 o'clock in the morning searching through my personal "library". Alas, I came across a short reading by Wallerstein that was not only amusing but directly related to my concerns. Perhaps his argument was far too complex for me and "zipped" right over my head, but I believe I was able to grasp his basic message. I came across the book, "The Underdevelopment of Development: Essays in Honour of Andre Gunder Frank" (Sage Publications, 1996). In it was a short essay written by Immanuel Wallertein entitled, "Underdevelopment and its Remedies". Wallerstein addresses the issue of development in the post-1945 period and how 'core - periphery' relations have been dominated by American hegmony. While the US emphasized privatization and capitalist mode of production, thhe only counterhetoric was collective "socialist development" by the USSR. However, with the onset Keynesianism, both sides of the iron curtain agreed that there needed to be some form of state intervention. Thus, the pattern of dpendency emerged within the "aid" forum as Developed countries began providing programs for the less developed. As we all know, by the late 1960's the American development model had a profound impact within the left academia with the emergence of the Depentistas' Dependency Theory and World System Theory and there seemed to be an optimism that real change might occur breaking the chain of dependency. This didn't happen and we find our selves today looking back and asking 'what happened'? In adressing this, Wallerstein states that there, "...is the view of those who think that things have not, on the whole, been getting better but that it is possible (possible, not certain) that they could do so." (p. 357-8) He then goes on to ask the question, "what needs changing? It seems very clear to me that it is our world-system, which is a capitalist world-economy, which is hierarchical and polarizing, racist and sexist, and unfundamentally undemocratic." (p. 358) As a system, the "capitalist worl-economy" is subject to erosion and eventual collapse due to the nature of systems. He elaborates bt saying, "...cyclical rythms generate secular trends that, in turn, over a long run, create impossible dilemmas (contradictions) that cannot be surmounted and that must lead to the disintigration of the system." (p. 358) Therfor, since the system will eventually collapse due to the processes above, should we sit around and wait for it to happen? Wallerstein says, "Not at all!" (p. 358) A political strategy and viable policies are needed to impliment such a disintegration and allow for the transition of a new one. Such a strategy begins from two premises: 1.) The capitalist world-system needs changing. 2.) This system will change regardless, but will the next system be "better or worse". Wallerstein suggests that such a strategy needs to be implimented in three phases: immediate, middle run, and long run. The immediate should invole mass mobilization against the world-system in such a way that it is stressed. The middle and long run needs to overload the system There are two ways to do this: take the rhetoric of freedom literally (free world, free market, etc.) and to take the economic self-interest seriously (increase in wages and the erosion of profit margins). Finally, the long run should involve utopistics - serious engagement towards the creation of future system. If there are those that have taken my comments and criticisms seriously and are interested in engaging in such a debate for the 'development' of a 'system' bringing the 'theory' back to the 'world', I recomend this reading. I would like to hear further thoughts on this. I believe such dialogue is of vital importance as to the current "world crisis". For those of you that believe in the importance of engaging in further world-system histrorical analysis, please continue to do so, but I ask that you also contribute what insights you may have towards viable policies. For those of you with world experience (committees, development projects, program directors and other various agencies outside the University), what do you believe are practical applications towards such strategies? Who's up for the challenge? Adam Starr ===== Adam T. Starr Undergraduate of Political Science, UVic 3009 Quadra Street, Victoria, British Columbia V8T 4G2 Canada (011) (250) 472-1223 adam@hornbyisland.com or reunitedhornby@yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Try FREE Yahoo! Mail - the world's greatest free email! http://mail.yahoo.com/
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