Rostow's Five Stages Of Economic Development

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W. ROSTOWS STAGES OF ECONOMIC GROWTH HOW RELEVANT IS A STAGE TO AFRICAN SITUATION ROSTOWS THEORY According to this analysis, Rostow identifies five stages through which each society must undergo in its development process. Traditional Stage A traditional society is one whose structure is developed within limited production functions based on pre-newtonian science and technology and on pre Newtonians attitudes towards the physical world(1960;4) The initial stage of development characterized by 1. Primitivism. 2. Isolation from modern science and technology. 3. Low brain in the society. Society is based on absence of science and technology 4. In this stage, traditions of the people, customs and status are final the word. 5. It’s…show more content…
The income earned from agriculture is dedicated to construction of temples and other monuments, expensive funerals, weddings and on others. Relevance in African society a) The traditional stage is applicable in most of the African countries because most are rich in their traditions, culture and customs, for instance most of the communities in Kenya like the maasai, kikuyu and luo have very distinct beliefs and ideololgies that are still part and parcel of their everyday life up to date especially in the rural ares. Most of these traditions are the final word, nobody argues with them and anybody who contradicts them is severely punished. b) In most African states, agricultural products are the leading source of income. Even though most countries are trying hard to bring about machines and technology, their agriculture is still human labour intensive, for instance Kenya is a chief exporter of tea, however when the tea picking machines were first introduced they were met with a harsh resistance from the labour unions, since it meant the labourers were to loose their source of…show more content…
For instance in Kenya due to poor politics(tribal politics) the post election violence emerged in 2008 and this not only led to massive murders and displacement of people from their homes, it affected our economy and mostly the farmers who had been displaced. Then, due to the coalition government, the rate of inflation increased and this means that we can no longer afford to live the same lifestyle with the same salary, the farmers can no longer afford to the necessary inputs required for planting or weeding. d) Even though its fading out, barter trade still exists in Africa. There are parts where people do not recognize money as a standard mode of exchange. For instance in some of the remote parts of Kenya someone would prefer that after weeding a piece of land for you, you pay them using some amount of maize and beans rather than giving them money. 2.Pre-condition to take
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