The Disenchantment of Political Development: Epistemes, Cultures and Policies (original) (raw)

DEFINING POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT: A Systematic Conceptualization

This study constructs a formal conceptualization and systematic elucidation of political development. That phrase combines two different terms, each of which has its own separate meaning. When put together, the question arises as to their combined sense: is there such a thing as political development? Or is this combination nonsensical? It is such questions that largely belong to metapolitics, so our discussion here may be properly called metapolitical. On that basis, we consider the deeper meaning of politics, both in its etymological and epistemological sense. Once this is done, one can then apply that meaning in either its conceptual or contextual aspects. As the bibliography at the end indicates, political development has been used extensively in recent literature of political and social sciences. Yet, a perusal of these sources shows that its meaning still remains moot. Each author uses the term in his own way which suits a particular purpose. No one has presented a rigorous definition of this complex concept; therefore it means different things to different people. So much so, that this situation of so many disparate and contradictory definitions has led some critics to call for the demise of political development as a useful concept. That would indeed be one solution by elimination. Yet, we live in an era in which the process of " development " dominates the thoughts, if not the actions, of most people. Moreover, one of the two principal axes of international politics revolves around the so-called North-South gap. The well-known dichotomy of the contemporary world into more and less developed countries (MDCs and LDCs) is a case in point which underlines the importance placed on this concept. In general, " development " is used in the sense of " economic ". This implied qualification of development restricts the concept to a process akin with industrialization. In this sense, " economic development " means a very specific thing, but the various interrelations with this process could not avoid a certain spillover into other areas. Thereby, we have social, technical, cultural, human, as well as political development, being discussed as real phenomena. Whether we like it or not then, we are forced into the current usage of these terms, so the least one can do is make sure that he knows what those terms mean, in order to improve communication and understanding. That is precisely what we are trying to do here in defining the concept of political development.

The Socio-Cultural Dynamics of Development: Part 2 The Cultural Basis of Political Development

Kybernetese, 2019

Purpose-Agency development is inherently a process of institutional evolution. The purpose of this part-2 (of a 3 part) paper is to explore development in the political context, producing a cultural model of political development as institutional evolution, explaining how political groups may come to power culturally. This requires a detailed examination of culture and cultural change, and a study of strategic political frames that define political groups seeking support for political power from agents in a political sphere. During cultural instabilities or social crises, frames may become cynical and embrace liquid persuasion and hence populism. Design/methodology/approach-A cultural model for political development is created involving three variables (emotional climate, and cultural order and compliance). This enables cultural comparison of different political groups. Strategic political frames are examined to understand how those vying for agency power may attract support from agents in the activity system. Liquid frames are also explored to understand the cynical nature of populism and its contribution to institutional devolution. Findings-A political development theory results that identifies the conditions under which formal political groups can promote frames that may attract support from agents from who they require support to gain agency power status. A model is produced for political development. It explains populism as a thin ideology with a collectivist orientation that uses liquid framing, and it introduces its individualist counterpart: political synergism. Research limitations/implications-The implication of this research is that it will allow empirical methods to be used that potentially enable political outcomes in complex political environments to be anticipated, given additional appropriate measurement criteria. Originality/value-Linking agency and institutional theory to explain the process of development is new, as is its application to the political development process in a political landscape. As part of this linkage, it has been shown how Bauman's concept of liquidity relates to Sorokin's ideas of socio-cultural change.

The Influence of Politics on Development: Understanding Politics of Development

The concept of political development is being used much more meaningfully in the modern times in the expression of development in many nations of Asia, South America and Africa at large (Karimi and Sarjit, 2014). In this concept, modernization, growth and development are mostly important and undeniable. Political development as a usable concept has been involved to a huge number of political, economic and sociological studies. Upon this concept for example Pye (1964) indicated that political development refers to adjustment between old patterns of life and new demands.

Political development theory and the dissemination of democracy

The relationship between political development theory and the dissemination of democracy is a curious one. In the period when political development theory was most influential, efforts to disseminate democracy throughout the Third World in line with its core values were notably unsuccessful. It later went into eclipse as a consequence of the failure of successive efforts at theory-building, from functional, cultural and comparative historical perspectives respectively. Despite this double failure, its core ideas have re-emerged as a dominant force in recent democratization literature. This article outlines the core ideas of the literature, in which conservative elitism rather than modernization theory provides the unifying thread. It then traces the failure of political development theory as theory in the 1960s and 1970s, and the emergence thereafter of a politics of pragmatism in which the core values of conservative elitism survive intact. Finally, it suggests some of the reasons for its renewed ascendancy.

Rethinking Development Politics

2024

In this innovative book, Ilan Kapoor and Gavin Fridell rethink development politics psychoanalytically, investigating its unconscious. Whereas mainstream development politics is organized around stability and rationality, psychoanalysis points to disharmony and irrationality, helping to explain the development subject’s often self-defeating behaviour.

The case for developmental methodologies in democratization

Journal of Adult Development, 2007

Interdisciplinary integration of adult and political development knowledge into the study and process of countries' democratic transitions is necessary, so democratization does not become an incendiary process further destabilizing the planet. The incoherence in research and practice can be resolved by employing insights into the political reasoning, culture, and institutional structures at key stages of development. Drawing on Chilton's (1988, Defining political development, Boulder: Lynne Rienner; 1991, Grounding political development, Boulder: Lynne Rienner) theory of political development, this coherent micro/macro connection is required for study of the central co-reinforcing elements for stable democracy: civil society, political society, rule of law, usable state bureaucracy, institutionalized economic society, and cultural conditions for psychologically healthy power relations. Developmental analyses of these factors provide the compelling theoretical framework the political science of democratization requires.