Dependency Theory
Haiti, one of the poorest countries, was struck by a devastating blow of nature early last year. This natural disaster left the country-especially its capital Port-au-Prince-in ruins. Several researchers have published their explanations describing why Haiti was severely affected by the earthquake. David Brooks and Peter Hallward are one of those people who came up with their own reasoning for Haiti’s failure to prevent the earthquake. Both of them explained that the earthquake could have been prevented if it were to happen in a developed country; but the reasoning for each of the individual is quite different. David Brooks believes that this outcome of Haiti is entirely its own fault. If Haiti were to step into modernizing the country rather than holding onto their culture, it could have lessened the severity of the earthquake. On the other hand, Peter Hallward believes that whatever happened to Haiti has strong relation with the country’s history. Haiti has been and still is a victim of being a dependent country. It has been the victim of systematic postcolonial oppression for long time. The poverty of the country has to do a lot with its dependency. The dependency started fairly long ago which is almost impossible to break as of now. The reason for Haiti’s underdevelopment can only be explained by dependency theory.
It is arguable that modernization theory can also be applied in the case of Haiti’s failure; but Haiti’s failure is very closely related to its hundreds of years of history. It is true that Haiti could have left their culture and beliefs; but if they could not break the chains of their dependency then there was no chance for modernization process to start.
One of the most important factors for modernization to happen is structural condition of a society. If that requirement is not fulfilled, the next step which is cultural factors would not be completed either (Lipset 42). Barbados was a country which used to produce different kinds of crops
It is arguable that modernization theory can also be applied in the case of Haiti’s failure; but Haiti’s failure is very closely related to its hundreds of years of history. It is true that Haiti could have left their culture and beliefs; but if they could not break the chains of their dependency then there was no chance for modernization process to start.
One of the most important factors for modernization to happen is structural condition of a society. If that requirement is not fulfilled, the next step which is cultural factors would not be completed either (Lipset 42). Barbados was a country which used to produce different kinds of crops
Bibliography: 1. Lipset, Seymor. Promise of Development. Theories of Change in Latin America. Boulder: Westview Press, 1986. 2. J. Isbister. Promises Not Kept. Seventh Edition. USA: Kumarian Press, 2006. 3. E. Galeano. The Open Veins of Latin America. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1973.