World Hunger - Modernization Theory Vs. Dependency Theory

World Hunger Essay

No wonder that so many people nowadays live beyond the borderline to poverty and do not have basic needs in order to survive. Global stratification has put these counties in the lowest division and has called them "Third World countries" or if to speak in financial terms "low-income nations". Second World nations are nations with moderate development patterns. The major condition in order to belong to the First World is wealth. This hierarchy is inevitable as it reflects the nature of relations between the nations of the world. According the UN data - 1 billion people suffer from starvation. That is a great number of people as it is 1\6 of the population of the planet. So, no matter how wealthy is the First World the problem of hunger and death in "underdeveloped" countries is not to be forgotten. Different theories-interpretations of the global stratification in their context offer suggestions of these "poor" nations.

Modernization Theory vs. Dependency Theory

The modernization theory is one of the points of view on the way the global stratification works. According to this theory the process of development of "weak" counties occurs throughout the help they get from the First World. It emphasizes the beneficial influence of economically developed countries over underdeveloped nations. Within this theory advanced nations provide different help but primarily technological aid to those countries that need it and therefore provide a stimuli for their further development.

Dependency theory is an opposition to the above-mentioned theory. It claims that the First World simply exploits the countries of the Second and the Third worlds. That it takes advantage of its uneducated population, cheap labor-force and inexpensive raw materials. According to this theory that kind of dependency prevents the countries from their potential development as the counties are almost completely controlled by the "powerful" nations technologically, economically and even politically. Elimination of starvation is not a synonymy of global stratification elimination. The utopia of "equality" remains a utopia, until the Third World countries start understanding the advantages they can get from the external aid. And the first step to the elimination of starvation is starting educating the populations of these "nations". As the economic giants build their enterprises, Second World countries need to start offering corresponding specialists. 70% of the starving population consists of women and children. The Second and Third World countries need to copy the patterns from their "powerful" friends. The welfare programs would allow women to prevent their children from early labor and children would start schooling and therefore