Understanding Political Development

The central concern of the essays in this exceptional volume is whether the various theories and concepts that scholars have invented for understanding the enormous political changes that have taken place in developing countries have, indeed, proven useful. To that end, three major themes are explored: (1) the question of the relationship between theory and reality in the study of political change in the third world; (2) the changing relationship between society and development, focusing on the kinds of changes that have taken place, their determinants, and political consequences; and (3) the changing role of the state in the third world, what determines its strengths and weaknesses, its autonomy, and its impact on economic development and social change.