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The present stage of the vast majority of the peoples of the third world is characterized as existing in various stages of underdevelopment. Beyond that, however, there does not appear to he any overriding consensus as to how they got there, or perhaps more importantl;/", what combination of policies are likely to obviate such conditions. Consequently, there has been a proliferation of theories and prescriptions that have resulted in varying degrees of success and failure, without succeeding in-any major way to alleviate the conditions of poverty and oppression. The major problem with such attempts is in their "all-or-nothing" approach'", characterized by the belief that specific changes are either all pervading in their effects or, on the other hand, are not significant enough to warrant any particular distinction. The purpose of this study is to show that such an approach is misleading, First of all, underdevelopment is seen as the result of a specific form of development that has as its basis the relationship of the advanced capitalist and the underdeveloped countries of the third world. Since this relationship is characterized by a host of interlocking arrangements it is necessary, to comprehend them in their totality, if the process is to be understood at all. It should be immediately recognized, however, that though specific changes may not effect the structural contingencies of the relationship, they sometimes are of such significance that they constitute an important change. Such an articulation of the problem has the decisive advantage of noting and recording the specific changes within this relationship while recognizing the all pervasive effects of its totality. The result of such an investigation led us to the following conclusions: (l) the recent change in the attitude of the advanced capitalist countries has resulted in greater flexibility in their dealings with the underdeveloped countries. Most important, in this respect, has been that the "enclave economies" have been largely relinquished. Multinational corporations, at the same time, have been willing and. even calling for local government participation in their activities. (2) Governments of the third world have demanded and subsequently appropriated greater control of the local economy through participation and even nationalization of key sectors. This, in addition, allowed for greater maneuverability on the so called "inter-imperialist battlefield", with the result that they can now appropriately be described as junior partners of the system. Thus", imperialism and development are not contradictory terms; it is simply that dependent underdevelopment is the new form of imperialist control. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

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The present study is an attempt to compare the performance of two competing models of economic development-- the conservative and radical models. The conservative model is represented by the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras; the radical model is represented by Cuba. The following chapters focus on a comparison of these models as they have manifested themselves in the Carribean basin. The analysis of the performance of the models is conducted by comparing socioeconomic variables of the countries representing the models. The study looks at the time period 1960 - 1980 which coincides with the adoption of the two models in the respective countries.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2004.

This study provides a descriptive analysis of the destitute and homeless central Durban. A quantitative and qualitative examination was undertaken to present a description of both the objective and subjective conditions ofthe destitute and homeless population in central Durban. The quantitative analysis was based on survey data gathered by the eThekwini Homeless Forum over 2002. This survey data provided information for 637 respondents, which this study captured and analysed on data editing software. The qualitative data was collected through ethnographic interviews carried out within night shelters in central Durban. The quantitative analysis revealed the existence of a significant youth contingent within the population, with 15-19 year olds being the most represented. Further, the majority of the respondents report to have been on the streets for less than two years. Two interesting hypotheses for future study arise from this; has there been a massive recent influx of members of central Durban's street population; or does the population experience . significant recycling and rehabilitation of new members? The analysis further revealed that the majority of the destitute and homeless population are from KwaZulu Natal, pointing to a population whose members, for the larger part, have not experienced and massive displacement from their place of origin. The qualitative analysis revealed individuals who have had varying life experiences, and who at present have varying levels of aspiration; but nevertheless, would all benefit and react positively to an engagement from external organisations like the eThekwini Homeless Forum. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

Economic development implies that a country's real output is growing at a faster rate than its population so that over time per caput output rises. One very simple way of achieving the growth of output is to bring formerly unemployed manpower into the labour force. But, since there is an inevitable limit to this method, a far more important aim is to bring about an increase in output per employed worker. [...]

After promoting in the 1970s a more egalitarian international trade system, developing countries abandoned the prospects of finding an alternative route to their development and have massively participated in the Uruguay Round. Results have been disappointing, and developing countries, particularly in the Latin American-Caribbean (LAC) region, are now also pursuing economic integration at the regional level. The 1990s have in fact been characterised by the general revival of regionalism, a trend considered by many legal scholars and economists as dangerous for multilateralism. The debate is ongoing, and the WTO is currently attempting to better monitor the impacts of regionalism. In any case, regional integration agreements (RIAs) are now present in all parts of the world, and developing countries seem to consider that such arrangements offer promising opportunities than lack in multilateral agreements. More particularly, LAC countries are now pursuing economic integration at the bilateral, subregional, regional and even hemispheric level with the current negotiations for a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). But the creation of a FTAA faces many obstacles, caused by wide disparities in the level of economic development within the region and the incredible variety of existing RIAs throughout the Hemisphere. And it remains to be seen if equity and social concerns will be better reflected in a regional agreement than at the multilateral level.

The thesis assesses the costs and benefits of Namibia's membership of the CMA to determine whether the CMA is an optimal currency area at least from the perspective of Namibia. This issue is examined from two main perspectives: (a) whether real exchange rate (RER) adjustment is frustrated by the inability to use the nominal exchange rate as an instrument of adjustment. Evidence of persistent RER misalignment may be seen as a necessary condition for an independent nominal exchange rate regime, however, it is not sufficient.(b) In this case, we examine whether nominal devaluations will have sustained effects on RER adjustment, given Namibia's structural features, such as the high degree of openness and a small nontradable sector. An equilibrium RER for Namibia is estimated using a single equation model of RER determination. The model is used to compute RER misalignments to determine whether there are sustained long periods of misalignments. To test whether nominal exchange rates can be effective in changing relative prices, a simple model was developed to measure pass-through of foreign price and exchange rate changes to domestic prices and wages. This provides useful information regarding whether nominal devaluations can be sustained. The results show that RER misalignments have been small, while the extent and speed of pass-through is complete and instantaneous for most items, suggesting that nominal devaluations in Namibia are not likely to have real effects. Even if it was the case that monetary autonomy cannot be supported on grounds of affecting relative prices, it may nevertheless be important for Namibia to pursue an independent exchange rate strategy. To examine this possibility, the analysis was extended by looking at costs and benefits of OCAs which do not rely on the ability to change relative prices. Benefits arising from savings on transactions costs and on foreign exchange reserves amounted to 3.8% and 2.4% of GDP, respectively. Further, we demonstrated that past "shocks" between Namibia and South Africa were highly correlated. The findings of the thesis suggest that the CMA is an optimal exchange regime for Namibia.

No description available.