Richard J. Payne - Politics and Culture in the Developing World

Politics and Culture in
the Developing World

Politics and Culture in
the Developing World

Fifth Edition

RICHARD J. Payne

JAMAL R. Nassar

First published 2012, 2010, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Published 2016 by Routledge
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Copyright 2012, 2010, 2008 Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved

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ISBN: 9780205075911 (pbk)

Cover Designer: Suzanne Behnke

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Payne, Richard J.
Politics and culture in the developing world/Richard J. Payne, Jamal R.
Nassar.5th ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-205-07591-1 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-205-07591-6 (alk. paper)
1. Developing countriesPolitics and government. 2. Globalization.
I. Nassar, Jamal R. (Jamal Raji) II. Title.
JF60.P44 2012
320.91724dc22

2010043433

Addressing shareholders in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in June 2010, Wal-Marts Chief Executive Michael T. Duke stated that Wal-Mart is committed to becoming a truly global company. Facing sluggish growth in the United States, Wal-Mart decided to concentrate on expanding its operations in developing countries such as Brazil, Mexico, China, India, and Argentina. The developing world is now the engine of global economic growth. By 2010, the Group of 20 leading developed and developing countries had clearly eclipsed the Group of 8 industrialized countries as the principal forum for discussing global economic problems. China, India, Brazil, and other developing countries are growing increasingly confident and assertive about playing more prominent roles in the world and in their relations with the United States and Europe. The rise of China is challenging dominant assumptions about and approaches to economic development and democracy. The global financial crisis and economic recession shifted some power away from the developed world to developing countries. This change in power relations is underscored by major demographic developments that are enhancing the economic power of the developing world relative to that of developed countries. These changes, together with ongoing global challenges, demonstrate the interdependence of rich and poor countries and reinforce our decision to discuss issues in the developing world within the broader context of globalization. The us versus them logic is being severely eroded by the forces of globalization.

Our decision to write Politics and Culture in the Developing World: The Impact of Globalization grows out of our extensive professional and personal experiences. Our experiences in different parts of the developing world give us not only first-hand knowledge of those countries within it, but also a strong desire to share this knowledge with students. Although our connections to these areas remain strong, we have the additional advantage of being observers from a distance. The problems of developing countries are not abstract concerns for us. An important reason for writing this book is to improve our own understanding of the challenges that poor countries face and to think of possible solutions to some of them. As such, this fifth edition continues in the same spirit as the first, second, third, and fourth editions. The nuclear crisis with North Korea, the war in Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the crisis over nuclear enrichment in Iran, and the constant threat of terrorism are all new reminders of the importance of studying the developing world.

For more than a quarter century, we have been teaching courses on the global South, global issues, international relations, foreign policy, and American government. We have done extensive scholarly research and have published many articles and books on developing countries. For more than a decade, we have shared with our colleagues a strong desire for a comprehensive textbook that is suitable for introductory courses on Africa, Asia, and Latin America. We wanted to write a book that dealt with issues that improve students understanding of the developing world within the broader context of rapid globalization. Students are increasingly aware of the growing interdependence among countries and the fact that rich and poor countries are being drawn closer together. Rising rates of immigration from Latin America, Asia, andto a lesser extentAfrica are contributing to profound demographic changes in the United States, Western Europe, Canada, and elsewhere in the industrialized world. These significant changes inspired us to write a text that treats developing countries as integral parts of an increasingly global society.

Globalization, the major theme of the book, makes it more difficult to separate the problems and concerns of rich countries from those of poor societies. Trade officials from the industrialized world are routinely pressured to negotiate agreements that include safeguards for environmental protection and the rights of workers in poor countries. Many of the worlds largest corporations, such as Nike, negotiate with advocacy groups in the United States and Europe to develop new codes of conduct for global commerce in which many developing countries participate. Groups, which include many students, have effectively used the threat of protests and boycotts to persuade Starbucks Corporation to pay what they regard as a living wage to coffee bean growers in Central and South America. The anti-sweatshop movements on many American college campuses have influenced companies to make a greater effort to end child labor and oppressive working conditions in their factories in developing countries. Globalization has made these companies vulnerable to pressure from various groups that operate in both rich and poor countries.