It has been 54 years since American economist Walt Rostow, famous for his belief in capitalism and the free market, published his contribution to the ever-expanding modernisation theory.
Walt published his suggested stages of development under the title 'The Stages of Economic Growth: A Non-Communist Manifesto'. Rostow argued that there were five stages of modernisation; traditional society, preconditions for take-off, take-off, drive to maturity, and finally, high mass consumption. The first stage, 'the traditional society', refers to a society at the beginning of their development journey. This stage takes into consideration the resources that a society has readily available to them, and although development may not be entirely static, it looks to enhance the utilisation of those resources- thus also enhancing development.
The second stage, named 'preconditions for take-off', aims to establish the existence or quick emergence of political, social or institutional framework, which is mandatory for the third stage. When simplified, this stage focuses on encouraging countries to emulate European history and to begin to value the accumulation of material goods. Critics often say that this stage highly disregards other values that a country may hold, and that emulating European history is not always practical or entirely appropriate. For example, colonizing countries; it is this way that most European countries established themselves, but with the increase of arms and the establishment of high-power political unions in surrounding countries, it is unlikely that a method such as colonisation would be beneficial for LEDC's in the current day.
This stage is followed by the actual 'take-off', which requires growth to have become a habit for the society. Rostow himself describes this stage as a short period of intensive growth, in which industrialization begins to occur, and workers and institutions become concentrated around a new industry.
The penultimate stage is named the 'drive to maturity'. This stage describes the movement a society takes towards the modern, efficient production of material goods. In order for a society to complete this stage, there needs to be a rapid development of transport infrastructure and large scale investments in social infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and universities. This is the most vital stage of a societies development and Rostow describes it as "the period when a society has effectively applied the range of modern technology to the bulk of its resources." During this stage the make up of the society's economy with change dramatically due to the acceleration of new industries and the improvement of technique. Imports and exports alike will allow the economy to find its place in the international economy and it is this that allows stable growth.
Finally the fifth stage, which requires a high state of mass consumption.
It can be argued that Walt Rostow's theory of Modernisation is beneficial to developing countries for many reasons. Firstly, when looking at the advancement of the UK's socio-economic status since the industrial revolution, it is evident that the theory works. Once industrialisation has been successful in a country, the multiplier effect can begin, thus beginning the eradication of any developmental problems and obstacles.
Within the haste of industrialisation, many new opportunities are introduced. One of the most beneficial opportunities for the society experiencing industrialisation is the employment it brings. However, as opposed to ascription, which is often the case in LEDC's, the opportunities are meritocratic which benefits the country greatly as the equal distribution of power and opportunity creates a highly skilled work force. This should also boost productivity and gives an incentive for the unemployed.
As the multiplier effect soon increases the standard of living, things such as life expectancy and infant mortality begin to rise. This benefits the Modernisation of a society greatly as a better quality of life ensures that more citizens are able to work, therefore more money is going back into the economy, and the whole population can pursue a healthier lifestyle. At the final stage of Rostow's theory, the country should see a rise in mass consumption, and although this may take some time, it contributes to the lessening of global inequalities.
Unfortunately, there are numerous flaws in Rostow's world famous theory, the most obvious being the lack of funding that an LEDC has access to and the lack of subsidies that the industries or businesses receive. The theory is also incredibly ethnocentric and hugely devalues the culture of those undertaking the modernisations theory. Disregarding their cultures suggests they are inferior to the more economically developed countries, and would suggest that they're incapable of helping themselves. Being instructed to adopt a Western way of living may cause an unwelcome reception to the theories or policies looking to be implemented in that country.
Furthermore, certain stages of the theory are simply impractical and therefore unsuccessful.
