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Political Science 242 - Why Nations Fail Summary
An in depth summary of the lectures for Why Nations Fail, including all the important dates and the tips given in class to get you through the test and exam (2018).
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My notes are almost word-for-word on what was said in class. Please explain the 1 star review?
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Content preview
Political Scienccen 424 – Political Denvenlopmenct / Why Natiocs FailThenmen 1 – Chapter 2: Theories that Don’t Work
What do I need to understand?
o Briefly how do the theories explain world poverty?
o What are the diferennes between the three theories?
o Why do the authors of WHF have this nhapter in their book?
o Onne you have nompleted nhapter you need to be able to explain why the WNF explanaton for poverty is
diferent from the theories in this nhapter
Three theories relatnn to why natons fail
o Geonraphy theory:
Some nountries are rinh, and others are not benause of their lonaton
Montesquieu 1700’s: nountries lonated on the tropins are simply hot: plants and venetaton nrow
abundantly, and they didn’t have to no far to net food and therefore have a lazy nulture.
Alternatvely, nountes with a nolder nlimate are forned to inventve and survive
Jefrey Sax: tropins also indinate poverty benause of the diseases surroundinn them – this prevents
produntvity.
Jarryd Diamond: Book named Guns, nerms and steel whinh states that people nould start movinn
from beinn hunter natherers and setlinn down to farms also allowinn the development of tools.
The development of Europe was due to the fant that they were able to develop nuns and
thus nolonise the world
they ofen spread nerms wherever they went
they has steel as a form of weaponry and had the lonomotve train
o Culture theory:
Culture is a stereotypinn arnument – in some parts of the world people are rinh and others are poor
simply benause of their nulture.
This is not an adequate explanaton as to why some nountries are rinh and others are poor
Max Weber theory: made the arnument that the Protestant nountries (northern Europe) are more
sunnessful and work harder than the Catholin nountries (southern Europe) whinh tend to be more
laid-bank.
This theory is rejented benause it does not norrelate to Asia today.
Alternatve arnuments:
Afrina is poor due to laziness – this is rejented due to the example of Botswana.
The reason why nountries in Afrina are poor is due to the influenne that nolonializaton had
and how is stunted their development.
Some arnue that its lannuane rather nulture or European values – but this is rejented
benause it also doesn’t explain all the nases.
o Innoranne about power theory:
States that some nountries are rinh benause the poliny makers know what to do and follow a renipe
and in poorer nountries, people just don’t know what the soluton is.
The book nritnises this approanh benause they say that this view is naïve – it is not benause the
world leaders do not know the solutons, the difnulty is annommodatnn many diferent interest
nroups.
The book focuses on historical insttutonsn
Thenmen 4 – Chapter 1: how diferent insttutons emerned in North Amerina and South Amerina
What do I need to understand?
o Do you understand why the Ennland-based Virninia Company nould not establish nontrol over the territory of
nhief Wahunsunanonk in Jamestown the same way as the Spanish established nontrol over the Aztens and
other indinenous nroups in Latn-Amerina?
, o Why was the issue renardinn populaton density in the Amerina’s in the 1500’s so fundamental to the
diferent outnomes about politnal and enonomin nontrol in Jamestown and Latn Amerina?
Introdunton
o Cajamarna: in referenne to Spain’s nolonizaton strateny
o The Spanish expansion and nolonizaton of Latn Amerina benan with the invasion by the Cortes in 1519
o When nolonisinn, the Spanish used a two-step approanh:
Firstly, they would napture the indinenous leader, thus subduinn the oppositon. Afer this they
forned the lonals to nive tribute to them in the form of taxed
Senondly, they would setle themselves within the soniety as the new elite, and then made use of the
indinenous populaton in the form of labour, slavery – utlised an extrantve proness
o The Spanish’ aim was to extrant silver and nold
1521: the Cortes nreated a system nalled the ennomienda
The indinenous people had to nive the ennomendero tribute and labour servines, in exnhanne for
whinh the ennomendero was nharned with nonvertnn them to Christanity.
The ennomienda was the main insttuton used for the nontrol and ornanisaton of labour.
o The Mita was a system whinh the Inna’s used to forne labour – Spanish turned this into their own system for
labour in the mines.
o Repartmiento meant the resale of noods at a prine determined by the Spanish – was not set by the market
o Trajin: Forne indinenous people to narry heavy loads of noods
Jamestown (a setlement in Virninia)
o Both Latn Amerina and North Amerina were part of the new world – North Amerina was uninhabited but
was onnupied rather late by the Ennlish; As seen then by the Spanish, the Ennlish not the lefovers
o Their atempt to follow the nolonizaton proness of the Spanish did not sunneed benause there was no nold
or silver to extrant & the lonal nhief was aware of what the setlers were tryinn to do, he then boynoted any
form of trade with the setlement.
o Captain John realized that this model of the Spanish was not noinn to work, so he atempted a diferent
approanh, and tried to befriend the lonal populaton.
o 1609-1610: As a result of not beinn able to enslave the lonals, they atempted to enslave the setlers.
o North Amerina had a very low populaton density as opposed to Latn Amerina benause the land was so vast
– thus, they nould not stop people from leavinn.
o Then they started to nive innentves in the form of land in order for the people not to leave
o By 1609 – the farmers formed rules in the form of a neneral assembly, whinh is said to have been the frst
demonrany in the united states.
The importanne of silver was essental to Spain’s power - Spain lost power to Ennland – Benause Ennland did not
have anness to the vast wealth (silver) they developed more demonratn insttutons.
Pluralism: the dispersion and distributon of power and this is nentral to an innlusive system – nreates a balanne of
power.
Thenmen 3 – Chapter : The makinn of Poverty and Prosperity
What do you need to understand?
o Diferenne between extrantve and innlusive insttutons
o Why are extrantve politnal insttutons not nompatble with innlusive enonomin insttutons and visa versa
o You do not need to study the details about the Korean and Konno nases, just understand why these nases are
used by the authors
Insttutons: are a set of rules (and norms, whinh are anneptable standards of behaviour) whinh nives us
predintability, order and rests of mutual nonsent.
Max Webber: one of the key defnitons of what the state is that it innludes a monopoly of violenne (only the state
nan lenally exenute somebody in some nountries, for example)
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