CARIBBEAN STUDIES

FACTORS AFFECTING DEVELOPMENT

FACTORS
 Political ideologies
 Distribution of wealth
 Changing class boundaries
 Natural and man-made disasters
 Impact of productive sector
 Tourism
Political ideologies- Definition
 Ideologies are the sets of basic beliefs about
the political, economic, social and cultural
affairs held by the majority of people within
as society.

 An ideology is a collection of ideas. Typically,

each ideology contains certain ideas on what
it considers to be the best form of
government and the best economic system
(e.g. capitalism, socialism, etc.).
Political ideologies
 A political ideology largely concerns itself
with how to allocate power and to what ends
it should be used.

 Political ideologies have two dimensions:

◦ Goals: How society should function or be
organized.

◦ Methods: The most appropriate way to achieve this

goal.
Political ideologies
 Ideologies also identify themselves by their
position on the political spectrum (such as
the left, the centre or the right), though this
is very often controversial.
 THE LEFT / LEFT-WING

◦ liberty.  The freedom of speech and the right to

dissent.
◦ equality.  A classless society with the redistribution
of wealth through a welfare state.
◦ fraternity.  The communal brotherhood, working
and living as one.
Political ideologies
 THE RIGHT/ RIGHT-WING
◦ authority.  The preservation of order through an
evolved authority.
◦ hierarchy.  The continuation of the existing social
order.
◦ property.  The right to private ownership.
Political ideologies - Types
 absolutism. System where the rulers have unlimited control.
 anarchism. Society without government, laws, police or other
authority. System of self-control.
 aristocracy. The privilege of social class whose members
possess disproportionately large percentage of society's wealth,
prestige and political influence.
 autocracy. Supreme political power is in the hands of one
person whose decision are unregulated..
 capitalism.  Right-wing political system where the principle
means of production and distribution are in private hands.
 communism.  Extreme left-wing ideology based on the
revolutionary socialist teachings of Marx. Collective ownership
and a planned economy. Each should work to their capability
and receive according to their needs.
Political ideologies - Types
 conservatism. Governmental system where the existing
institution are maintained, emphasizing free-enterprise and
minimal governmental intervention.
 democracy. Government by the people usually through elected
representatives.
 dictatorship. Government by a single person with absolute
control over the resources of the state.
 egalitaranism. Belief where all citizens have equal rights and
privileges.
 fascism.  Extreme right-wing ideology where the existing social
order is protected by the forcible suppression of the working
class.
 imperialism. The extension of power and rule beyond
established geographical boundaries.
Political ideologies - Types
 liberalism. Representative government, free-speech, abolition
of class privilege and state protection of the individual.
 Marxism. Developed by Marx and Engles, it proposes that all is
subject to change and resistance to change necessitates the
overthrow of the system through class struggle.
 Maoism. Interpretation of Marxist communism emphasizing the
development of agriculture.
 Monarchy. A form of rule in which the head of state is a King or
Queen.
 nationalism. The unification of the state and release from
foreign rule.
 oligarchy. A system of government in which virtually all power
is held a small number of wealthy people who shape policy to
benefit themselves.
Political ideologies - Types
 populism. Collective noun for the ideologies which
demand the redistribution of political power and
economic leadership to the 'common people'.
 socialism.  Left-wing political system where the
principle means of production, distribution and
exchange are in common ownership.
 theocracy. Rule by the church.
 totalitarianism. Government control of all
activities.
 Trotskyism. Form of Marxism incorporating the
concept of permanent revolution.
Political ideologies - Caribbean
 Promote
◦ Capitalist or free state/enterprise- dominant
political ideology of the Caribbean

 Hinder
◦ Marxist-type revolutions- attempts at increasing
human equity (Grenada, 1979; Cuba,1959; Guyana,
1960-70’s)
Distribution of wealth
 Promote
◦ Social Mobility: the movement of a person from one status to
another, either between generations or within a person's adult
career.
◦ Measure: index of social and economic equalization

 Hinder
◦ Poverty:- unable to provide basic needs
If human development is about enlarging choices, poverty means
that most basic opportunities and choices to human development
are denied. From a human development perspective, poverty means
more than the lack of what is necessary for material well-being.
Recognising the poverty of choices and opportunities implies that
poverty must be addressed in all its dimensions, not income alone.
Distribution of wealth
◦ Inequality:-
◦ Measure:
 Levels of income
 Human poverty Index: a measurement system based
on what is lacking in different areas of the world. and
it gathers data in developing countries and in those
with higher incomes so a basis for comparison
 Gini Index-The Gini index is defined as a ratio of the
areas on the Lorenz curve diagram.
 The Gini Index is a measure of the inequality of a
distribution, a value of 0 expressing total equality and
a value of 100 maximal inequality.
Distribution of wealth- Caribbean
 Gini Index Values (2004)
◦ Haiti -65
◦ St. Vincent & the Grenadines- 60
◦ U.S. – 36
 High levels of poverty can coincide with a
high Gini Index e.g. St. Vincent & the
Grenadines
 Low levels of poverty can coincide with a high

Gini Index e.g. Antigua & Barbuda

Changing class boundaries
 Promote
◦ Social Mobility: the movement of a person from one
status to another, either between generations or
within a person's adult career.
Changing class boundaries
 Hinder
◦ Social Stratification: a hierarchy of positions with regard
to economic production which influences the social
rewards to those in the positions.
◦ Social Exclusion
“Social exclusion is a broader concept than poverty,
encompassing not only low material means but the
inability to participate effectively in economic, social,
political and cultural life and in some characterisations
alienation and distance from mainstream society” (Duffy,
1995).
Natural and man-made disasters

 Promote
◦ Employment generated
◦ Increased planning: social, physical
◦ Infrastructural development: roads, bridges etc.

 Hinder
◦ Destruction of the environment
 Man-made, Natural
◦ Changes in developmental plans
 Immediate aid
 Diversion of funds and resources
Impact of Productive Sector

 Promote
◦ Reduced dependency on imports
◦ Increased foreign exchange earnings
◦ Employment generated

 Hinder
◦ Increased environmental degradation
 Pollution
 Toxicity
 Global warming / Carbon footprint
Tourism
 Promote
◦ Human resources development; skills
◦ Economic Development: jobs, foreign exchange
◦ Increased Linkages: agricultural development

 Hinder
◦ Increased environmental degradation
 Pollution/Toxicity
 Beach erosion, Habitat Destruction
◦ Resentment among locals/Racial tensions
◦ Leakage: profits leave country
Appendix
 The three indicators of the human poverty index
(HPI)
◦ The first deprivation relates to survival: the likeliness of
death at a relatively early age and is represented by the
probability of not surviving to ages 40 and 60 respectively
for the HPI-1 and HPI-2.

◦ The second dimension relates to knowledge: being excluded

from the world of reading and communication and is
measured by the percentage of adults who are illiterate.

◦ The third aspect relates to a decent standard of living, in

particular, overall economic provisioning.
Sources
 http://www.fisicx.com/quickreference/politic
s/ideologies.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political

_ideologies
 http://www.sociologyguide.com/questions/s

ocial-stratification.php
 http://cop.mdgasiapacific.org/files/cop/AP-

MDG-Social/20071113_egm_avatthi.pdf
(all rights reserved by relevant authors)