The Evolution of Development Theory and Tourism - Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues - page 35

Table 2.1 Political ideological underpinnings of development thinking

Conservative Liberal Radical

Market
Open market
competition
Minimal state role

Non-structural reformist
Direct assault on poverty
Basic needs

Social struggle
Marxist
Class struggle as route
to development

Authoritarian
Strong role of state
allied with capital
Top down development

Structural reformist
Broad based reforms for
greater social distribution
of power and wealth
Land reform

Commandist
Leninist
Political elite commands
economy to organise
production in the
name of the people

Source: Goldsworthy, 1988.

Table 2.1. Goldsworthy (1988) also suggests that all development theories,
policies, plans and strategies consciously or unconsciously express a pre-
ferred notion of what development is and these preferences in turn reflect
values. The recognition of the inherent value systems and political under-
pinnings in development theories illustrate that development has a power-
ful normative component.
Hettne (2001) distinguishes between mainstream and counterpoint
when theorising on development. Mainstream refers to the dominant view
from the state or market perspective while counterpoint focuses on opposi-
tional ideas from 'civil society' made by or on behalf of those excluded from
the development process. Mainstream and counterpoint are contrasting posi-
tions within a particular development discourse (Hettne, 2001).
The development paradigms that evolved after World War II were prod-
ucts of three major influences: the US Marshall Plan, which helped to rebuild
Europe after World War II resulting in a belief in managed capitalist eco-
nomic and social development; an optimistic view of the future; and a sense
of rising determination of the colonies to follow a path to independence
(Dickenson et al. , 1983). These influences led to a belief in the superiority of
Western interventionist economics and that policy development was a linear
process leading towards the same political, economic and social structures as
those of the West (Dickenson et al. , 1983). This perspective continues to be
challenged from a variety of viewpoints, as will be seen in this chapter.
Table 2.2 outlines chronologically seven main development paradigms,
and their component parts, which have evolved since the end of World War
II. It must be stressed that there are a variety of different classification sys-
tems for development theories and the information presented in Table 2.2 is
only one perspective used to introduce readers to the various concepts, and
which will be used to examine tourism development. The timeframes are