Friedmann - 1967 - A GENERAL THEORY OF POLARIZED DEVELOPMENT PDF
Friedmann - 1967 - A GENERAL THEORY OF POLARIZED DEVELOPMENT PDF
Friedmann - 1967 - A GENERAL THEORY OF POLARIZED DEVELOPMENT PDF
John Friedmann
December 1967
First draft 6/6?
Revised draft 8/67
Revised draft 12/67
John Friedmann
Introduction
2
this subject, competitive theories will be reviewed.
Despite their shortcomings, these theories complement each
other in a number of ways and may be relevant for specific
kinds of planning analysis. In a number of important
respects, however, they are all deficient as a general frame-
work for regional planning.
Part It Theory
1• Development as innovation^
power is frustrated),
t h e S o v i e t U n i o n and t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s as
c o m p e t i t o r s i n a s t r u g g l e for p o s i t i o n as
d o m i n a n t c o r e s for an a m e r g i n g w o r l d system.
to a p o s i t i o n w h i c h had b e e n o c c u p i e d , for
t h e v o l u m e o f t r a d e and t h e l e v e l o f compe-
t h a n b e t w e e n t h e s e r e g i o n s and lower-order
t o a c o m p l e m e n t a r i t y , t h e second to a
r e d u c e d v;hile t h o s e c o n t r i b u t i n g t o compOb -
t h a n t h o s e w h i c h f a v o r i n t e g r a t i o n , to a
b a s e s for e v e n t u a l a c c o m o d a t i o n (5*2.2,1,),
f o r c e s of s y s t e m i n t e g r a t i o n s h o u l d be
s t r e n g t h e n e d b y e n c o u r a g i n g an increased
v o l u m e o f t r a d e and o t h e r f o r m s o f exchange
b e t w e e n t h e U . S . and S o v i e t c o r e s . Second,
j o i n t e f f o r t s s h o u l d b e u n d e r t a k e n in extend-
i n g d e v e l o p m e n t a s s i s t a n c e to t h e w o r l d
p e r i p h e r i e s o r , vihere t h i s w o u l d n o t be
b e i n c r e a s e d . I n t h i s v/ay, t h e e x c l u s i v e orien-
counti''y t o f o l l o w m o r e a u t o n o m o u s c o u r s e s of
action.
r.38-
s t a t e s and I s r a e l a l s o l a n d s i t s e l f to
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n i n t e r m s of t h e o r y h e r e proposed.
c o r e r e g i o n for a p o t e n t i a l s y s t e m o f M i d d l e
E a s t e r n n a t i o n s . If t h e Arab s t a t e s w e r e
c u l t u r a l t r a d i t i o n s and a d i f f e r e n t socio-eco-
n o m i c and p o l i t i c a l s t r u c t u r e . S i n c e peripheral
s t a t u s i s d e f i n e d as a d e p e n d e n c y relation
(see 4 , 1 , 2 ) , h o w e v e r , i t i s natural
i n t e r p r e t I s r a e l ' s i n t e n t i o n s as a f o r m o f
E u r o p e a n d , a s s u c h , o c c u p i e s an extremely
vulnerable position,
. T h e c h a l l e n g e of c o r e r e g i o n dominance.The
s y s t e m s l o c a t e d i n t h e p e r i p h e r y of w o r l d
c o r e r e g i o n m a r k e t s for t h e i r p r o d u c t s , on
c o r e r e g i o n c a p i t a l for a s u b s t a n t i a l share
o f t h e i r t o t a l i n v e s t m e n t , and o n c o r e region
o n e of t h e m o s t e x p l o s i v e f e a t u r e s of the
O n e m a y a t t r i b u t e t o t h i s q u e s t for nation--
f e a t u r e s o f t h e Thi.rd W o r l d c o u n t r i e s . (The
r e c e n t l y a ííiole s y s t e m a p a r t i n w h i c h the
r.40-
a b l e to m a i n t a i n a fairly c o m p l e t e autonomy
i n c r e a s i n g r a d i c a l i z a t i o n of p o l i t i c a l life
m a y a l l b e traced t o t h e v i t a l i m p u l s e to
s k i l l f u l efforts t o o b l i g e c o r e r e g i o n p o w e r s
and t o a s s u r e for t h e p e r i p h e r y a m i n i m u m of
p o l i t i c a l s e l f - d e t e r m i n a t i o n b y s u b t l y play-
i n g t h e t w o great w o r l d p o w e r s a g a i n s t one
other.
E c o n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t a p p e a r s , in t h i s view,
r a t h e r t h a n as an end in i t s e l f . If t h i s is
a c c e p t e d , t h e p a r a d o x i c a l b e h a v i o r of some
c o u n t r i e s , claináng to d e s i r e e c o n o m i c develop-
m e n t but e n g a g i n g i n a p p a r e n t l y non-rational
r.41-
economic g r o w t h — t h o u g h internationally
a u t o n o m y is n o t — i s j u d g e d to b e o f less
considerationsJ for e x a m p l e , c r e a t i n g a p o w e r -
l o p m e n t in t e r m s of c o r e - p e r i p h e r y relations
d y n a m i c s of t h e d e v e l o p m e n t p r o c e s s a r e t o a
t y p i c a l of p e r i p h e r a l r e g i o n s g e n e r a l l y . W h i l e
(see 3.5).
o f L a t i n A m e r i c a n c o u n t r i e s on t h e U n i t e d
S t a t e s and a p r o g r e s s i v e "internalization" of
for a c c o m p l i s h i n g t h i s a i m d o n o t exist;
t h a n a y e a r i n t h e P r e s i d e n c y of B r a z i l mainly
Only C h i l e h a s so f a r m a n a g e d t o w a l k a
t h e b o r d e r l i n e o f l e g i t i m a c y to t h e overt
a d v o c a c y of v i o l e n t revolution,^^
T y p i c a l o f p o l i t i c a l b e h a v i o r i n peri-
p a r t of t h e c o n t e n d i n g e l i t e s . Established
r e s t e d for p o l i t i c a l m o r e t h a n f o r economic
l o o k for a l l i a n c e w i t h t h e b i g g e s t competitor
C o u n t e r - e l i t e s m o r e d i s p o s e d to illegitimate
f o r m s o f conflict, s e e k i d e o l o g i c a l , i f n o t
s t r u g g l e for n a t i o n a l r e n e w a l . T h e s e different
r.45-
p o s i t i o n s o f t e n degenera-te i n t o f a c t i o n a l splits
a m o n g t h e c o u n t e r - e l i t e s and t e n d t o debilitate
o t h e r h a n d , t h e s y s t e m o f a l l i a n c e s on t h e
p a r t o f b o t h e l i t e s and c o u n t e r - e l i t e s tends
regions,
7« T h e ó p e r a t i o n of t h e t h e o r y on t h e l e v e l of inter-regional
r e l a t i o n s at t h e n a t i o n a l level
a c c o u n t for t h e a p p e a r a n c e o f i n n o v a t i o n s and
78
core regions (see 4<.l.and 5.1-)* As the
t h e c a p a c i t y o f t h e s y s t e m for self-generating
r a i s i n g and s i m u l t a n e o u s l e v e l l i n g o f t h e
r.46-
i n t h e p h y s i c a l e x p a n s i o n of c o r e r e g i o n s and
h a s i t s t h e o r e t i c a l l i m i t in a complete
i d e n t i t y o f c o r e and s p a t i a l s y s t e m i n w h i c h
and p r o v i n c i a l c o r e r e g i o n s . T h i s condition
w i l l s h o w u p n o t o n l y i n t h e p e r v a s i v e poveirby
s e v e r e 3,imats t o t h e r e g i o n s r e a l i s t i c expec-
t a t i o n s for s e l f - d e v e l o p m e n t . T h e relevant
i n C o n c e p c i ó n , for e x a n ^ l e , o r i n Santiago,
a p p e a r s a s t h e only: s t a b l e s o l u t i o n t o this
8l
otherwis® intractible problem,
a s a coraiminication p r o c e s s t h a t r e q u i r e s both
s t r u c t u r a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s t h a t e n a b l e i t to
m u s t h a v e s t r u c t u r a l and b e h a v i o r a l characte-
r i s t i c s t h a t r e s e m b l e t h o s e of t h e sender
t h e nationalcfevelopment b a n k , f o r instance,
t u t i o n . To r e c e i v e a g r a n t f r o m a n international
f e a t u r e s t h a t e n a b l e it t o s u s t a i n a dialogue
w i t h t h e f o u n d a t i o n : s o m e of i t s administra-
t i v e and t e a c h i n g s t a f f m u s t b e bi-lingual
s t r u c t u r e and c u r r i c u l u m m u s t b e consistent
a n d so forth.
or r e i n f o r c i n g i n n o v a t i o n s m a y b e called
modernising institutions.
Notes
19. Ibid,, p. 4.
21. Ibid„. p. 9.
1957.
55. Ibid.
56. Ibid.
pp. 479-512,