The theory of modernization is the theory which states that, as in industrialized and developed Western societies, underdeveloped or developing countries should follow the path of Western societies in order to achieve their economic development. According to the modernization theory, developing countries can democratize and achieve advanced economic development. In other words, modernization theory argues that economic development cannot occur without democracy. Developing countries in Southeast Asia like India and Pakistan, which were founded in 1947, will be examined through modernization theory in this study. India did not take part in the Western bloc during the Cold War and determined its economic policy according to the Swadeshi principle, which means “self-sufficiency” like the Soviet-type economic model. The transition to a free-market economy and liberalization of the economy has been realized gradually since the early 1990s under the leadership of Indian Finance Minister Manmohan Singh. However, despite the liberalization in the economy, Hindu nationalism, which contains threats for minorities and leads to anti-democratic practices, has started to gain strength. Pakistan, on the other hand, has been in the Western bloc since its establishment and has developed important relations with the United States. However, despite all attempts, democratization efforts have been inconclusive. Pakistan's democratization efforts were interrupted as a result of the military seizing the administration with military coups. Although Pakistan has adopted the free market economy, it has tried to achieve economic development by the state. In this context of the study, the democratization efforts and economic development processes of India and Pakistan, which were established as a result of the withdrawal of United Kingdom from the Indian sub-continent in 1947, will be discussed in the context of modernization theory.
Primary Language | Turkish |
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Subjects | Political Science |
Journal Section | Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | December 31, 2021 |
Submission Date | October 18, 2020 |
Published in Issue | Year 2021 Volume: 5 Issue: 18 |
Works published in the journal Asian Studies are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.