Political Modernization: Gaps Between Theory and Reality

Abstract

Academic interest in "political development" declined in the later 1960s for a variety of reasons, including events in the Third World which both challenged nascent theoretical concepts and also inhibited further empirical research. Theory building was further complicated by a rise in ideological passions, changes in scholarly fashions, and continuing advances in technology which, in auguring the advent of "post modern" societies, made the concept of "modernization" even more ambiguous.

Interest in the questions of "dependency" and the relationships of the Third World to the international system forced theorists to reexamine the significance of the traditional basic concepts of "authority" and "sovereignty" for changing societies. Greater effectiveness in public policy implementation demands the establishment of more competent authorities in the new states and the achievement of their true sovereignty. This test of effectiveness, however, runs into the old realities of cultural differences which stand in the way of greater "equality" of performance according to modern standards. The problems of achieving greater equality, both domestically and internationally, are already well recognized in the economic realm, but will be even more difficult with respect to power. Hence the subject of political development is certain to become increasingly significant in the next decade.