Theories of Global Stratification

Walt Rostow’s Four Stages of Modernization

Dependency Theory and the Latin American Experience

The Modern World System

Members:

Abrito, Syd Therese D. Gipalaga, Trisha May D.

Barandino, Angel Gulpere, Lei Vincent
Doroja, Bthan Nyrewel S. Mahinay, Julieta
I. Introduction

 Global stratification is the unequal

distribution of income, power, reputation,
resources, and influence among the world's
nations.
 Three (3) ideas underpin global
stratification:
• they must adopt the proper attitudes;
• morals; and
• customs
I. Introduction
The Three (3) Theories of Global Stratification

Walt Rostow’s Four Stages of

Modernization Dependency Theory and
the Latin American Experience

The Modern World System

Il. Discussion of the Topic
Walt Rostow’s Four Stages of
Modernization

What is Modernization Theory?

Modernization theory is the
establishment of an ideal of the
modernized nation, setting universal
standards of economic, social and
cultural development to all countries,
as Walt Whitman Rostow elaborated.
Who is Walt Whitman Rostow?
Walt Whitman Rostow OBE was an American
economist, professor and political theorist who
served as national security advisor to president of
the United States Lyndon B. Johnson from 1966 to
1969. He developed the four staes of modernization
that summarizes the economic growth of countries.
•Traditional Society: This stage is characterized by a
population without a scientific perspective on the world and
technology, a subsistence, agriculturally based economy, with
intensive labor and low levels of trading.
•Take-off: This stage, according to Rostow, is marked by a
brief period of intense expansion during which industrialization
begins to occur and individuals and institutions begin to
assemble behind a new industry.
•Drive to Maturity: As living standards rise, technology use
increases, and the nation's economy grows and diversifies,
this stage progressively emerges over time.
•Age of High Mass Consumption: Rostow believed that
Western countries, especially the United States, were in this
final "developed" stage at the time this piece was written. A
country's economy flourishes in this circumstance under a
capitalist system, which is characterized by mass production
and consumerism.
 Dependency Theory and Latin American
Experiences
• According to the Dependency Theory, developing countries are
dependent, preventing them from becoming inventive.
Colonization is one of the many ways that dependence theories
are explained. According to the idea of colonialism, developed
nations invaded new lands and used their political and military
clout to seize control of the local resources.

• Colonialism was short-lived, and Dependency Theory adopted

a neo-colonialist guise. Neocolonialism asserts that the
advanced countries used capitalism to persuade the less
developed ones to make choices that would increase
dependence on them while also generating wealth for the
advanced countries. Due to this, developing countries with
significant debt to developed countries now owe even greater
sums.
Dependency Theory and Latin American
Experiences
• Latin American nations frequently reimported manufactured
goods from the same countries even though they exported
primary goods like food, lumber, and minerals to the Global
North. Adding value to these manufactured goods, typically
created from the earlier imported primary direct inputs. At the
same time, Latin American nations continued to run a trade
deficit. A low-income periphery coexists with this wealthy global
core in a semi-permanent extractive relationship. Others held
that economic policy recommendations supporting domestic
industry could lead to economic development. This statist
strategy for growth, according to Ramón Grosfoguel, was used
in Latin America for about a century before dependency theory
(2000).
 The Modern World
System Theory

Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein

- was an American sociologist
and economic historian. He is
perhaps best known for his
development of the general approach
in sociology which led to the
emergence of his world-systems
approach.
 The Modern World
System Theory

• A world-system is a social system, one that has boundaries,

structures, member groups, rules of legitimation, and
coherence. Its life is made up of the conflicting forces which
hold it together by tension and tear it apart as each group
seeks eternally to remold it to its advantage.
• Wallerstein aims to comprehend the global capitalism
system, which comprises all contemporary nation-states.
According to Wallerstein, social systems can be categorized
into only three categories.
 Mini-systems
 World empires
 World-economies
The Modern World System
Theory

THREE CATEGORIES OF SOCIAL SYSTEMS ACCORDING TO

WALLERSTEIN:

• Mini-system - These are small, homogeneous societies

studied by anthropologists.

• Empire - The system has an economy based on the extraction

of surplus goods and services from suburban countries.

• Global economy - The global economy does not have a

unified political system, and its rule is not based solely on
military power. But like the world empire, the world economy is
based on the extraction of surpluses from the maximum by
those who rule the center.
 The Modern World
System Theory
There are four types of countries
• The Core
The core region has benefited the most from the capitalist world
economy. Most of Northwest Europe (England, France, and the
Netherlands) developed as the initial core region during the period
covered. Politically, the states in this part of Europe developed
strong central governments, large bureaucracies, and large
mercenary armies

• The Periphery
On the other end of the scale lie the peripheral zones. The
surroundings of Europe, Eastern Europe, Poland, and Latin America
were characterized by the lack of a strong central government,
unequal trade relations, and the exploitation of farm workers by
powerful local landowners. Seizure of power by the aristocracy,
forced agricultural workers into a “second serfdom", enslaved the
local population, imported African slaves, and forced labor practices
to export cheap raw materials to Europe.
 The Modern World
System Theory
• The Semi-Periphery
The semi-peripheries are halfway between the two extremes. These
locations either represented core regions that were in decline or peripheries
that were seeking to elevate their relative standing within the global
economic system. They frequently served as barriers between the center
and the edges. As a result, conflicts between the strong local landed elite
and the central authority might be seen in the semi-peripheries

• External Areas
These regions continued to operate under their own economic systems and,
for the most part, were able to avoid integrating into the modern global
economy. In this instance, Russia makes sense. In contrast to Poland,
Russia uses its wheat primarily for domestic use. It dealt with both
Europe and Asia, but it continued to place greater emphasis on domestic
trade than international trade. Also, the enormous power of the Russian
state assisted in regulating the economy and limiting the impact of
international businesses.
 • Global stratification is a socioeconomic
inequality trend due to power,
influence, resources and income
among nations. It is best explained by
the dependence theory, the modern
world system and the modernization
theory.

• Rostow's modernization theories

suggest that Western countries,

III. Recommendation
especially the United States, are in the
final "developed" stage of their
economy, characterized by mass

and Analysis
production and consumerism.

• The industrial revolution and

Columbian Exchange allowed
countries to replace human labor with
machines, but not everywhere. The
traditional stage, take-off stage,
technological maturity, and high-mass
consumption are further steps of
modernization. These theories argue
that wealthy countries' attitudes,
viewpoints, and behaviors of rich
countries favor the accumulation of
 • Education is the best weapon to go

III. Recommendation away with dependence on others.

and Analysis
• Poverty exists because of wrong
beliefs, values and attitudes.

• We must learn to collaborate to adopt

new technologies, ideas and
challenges to hone our respective
With all these premises, the following
individuals as a nation.
recommendations are hereby posted in the
viewpoint of a student :
• We must elect government officials
who think of the common good, not just
for their motives
IV. References
• Halsall, P. (2023). Modern History Sourcebook: Summary of Wallerstein on World
System Theory. Fordham University.
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/Wallerstein.asp
• Blakeley, S., Hurst, M., & Chapel, L. (2021). World Systems Theory. study.com.
https://study.com/learn/lesson/world-systems-theory-wallerstein.html
• Blakeley, S., Hurst, M., & Chapel, L. (2021). World Systems Theory: Core Vs. Peripheral
Societies. study.com.
https://study.com/learn/lesson/world-systems-theory-wallerstein.html
• Jacobs, J. (2020). Rostow's Stages of Growth Development Model.
https://www.thoughtco.com/rostows-stages-of-growth-development-model-1434564
• EconomicsOnline. (2020). Dependency theory.
https://www.economicsonline.co.uk/global_economics/dependency_theory.html/?
fbclid=IwAR2CHJD3LXisYTyirE2CVqnjAr8BS7hYmzAi8A9O3j7V4g2ONyDL0MuNKzI
IV. References

• Ching, V. C. (2020). Markets, Leverage, or Linkages: Using Dependency Theory to Assess China-
Latin America Ties.
https://www.bu.edu/gdp/2020/10/22/markets-leverage-or-linkages-using-dependency-theory-
to-assess-china-latin-america-ties/#:~:text=Popular%20in%20the%201960s%2C
%20dependency,capital%20and%20technology%20from%20abroad

• Schmidt, S. (2018). A Collective Publication wtih The Global South.

https://globalsouthstudies.as.virginia.edu/key-thinkers/latin-american-dependency-theory

• Hernández, M. R., & Alejandro, L. M. (2019). Dependency Theory in Latin American

History.
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo- 9780199766581/obo-
9780199766581-0205.xm