ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author discusses the main ideas of the theories of modernization and dependency from the perspective of the Latin American region. Both theories have to be set against the background of the Cold War and the competing ideologies of capitalism and communism. Modernization theory emerged in the North during the 1950s and 1960s and was largely absorbed uncritically at the time by social scientists and policy makers in Latin America. Social scientists were encouraged by governments, international institutions, aid agencies, and policy makers to undertake research into the so-called ‘backward’ countries or ‘non-Western societies’ with a view to designing and implementing development strategies and policies which overcame the various economic and social obstacles to development. The dependency situation arose with colonialism when Latin America became incorporated into the emerging world capitalist system.
