Dependence as an Explanation of Underdevelopment: A Critique

Abstract

This essay seeks to clarify the relationship between dependence and underdevelopment by examining critically some of the major themes in the literature on dependency theory. Three principal arguments are evaluated: (1) that dependence inhibits economic growth; (2) that dependence results in an undesirable pattern of economic development; and (3) that dependence leads to an unviable pattern of development. It is suggested that most dependency theorists do not adequately distinguish between the effects of dependence per se and the effects of the capitalist mode of production in general. Making this distinction, the essay concludes that the effects of dependence per se tend to be overstated in the dependency literature.