Political Development - Research Paper Example

? POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL SYSTEM goes here of goes here goes here February 10, What is political development? Is There a Single Model for Political Development? Political development is the development of attitudes, institutions, and political behaviors that merge to form a political system in a country. Political development, which is neither irreversible nor linear, refers to the formation of such system in a society, which enhances the state’s ability to implement the laws and allocate the resources that are needed to run different matters of the government. Martinussen (1997) found that political development is essential to process inputs into such outputs that can be implemented for the benefits of the society. Any country needs development of a proper political system in order to run the government institutions in an appropriate manner because it is very difficult to manage those institutions without having a well-structured political system. Such countries face political decline where there are no signs of political development because political problems cannot be solved easily without development of a proper political system in a country. Kingsbury (2007) found that political development reflects a process of change that is away from archaic political forms, such as feudalism, through to authoritarian or oligarchic political systems, or on the extreme end, a totalitarian or parasitic form of government (p.17). Bringing democracy in a country and then strengthening the roots of democracy is one of the main motives of political development. The main goal of political development is human freedom, which is vital for pursuing capabilities, and realizing rights (Kingsbury, 2007, p.17). Political development not only results in implementation of laws but also brings considerable changes in the social and political dimensions of a society. Political development is also necessary to strengthen the economic system of a country. It is because there is a strong link between the economic development and political system of a country. Political development involves such characteristics and variables, which not only changes the attitudes of the political culture but also carries out considerable institutional reforms. Models of political development play an important role in setting the dimensions of a desired political system. There is no single model for political development. The two models presented by the political development literature include unilinear and monolithic models. Both of these models provide assistance in the proper political development in a country. Is Democratization Equivalent to Political Development? Democratization is one of the trends in modern political science and it can be a transition from an authoritarian political regime to a democratic political regime. “Democratization is important because of one of the most widely (but not universally) accepted trends in international relations, known as the democratic peace” (Hauss, 2003). Democratization is not equivalent to political development because democratization is a process by which a country adopts a democratic political regime whereas political development refers to the concept of developing a political structure for implementation. Hauss (2003) states, “There is less agreement among political scientists about how that process occurs, including the criteria to use in determining if democratization has, in fact, taken place”. “Democratization relates specifically to a programmatic agenda of state reform promoted by transnational actors” (Burnell, 2006, p. 24). Political development means to form an authoritarian, oligarchic, totalitarian, or parasitic type of government whereas democratization is the transition of autocratic form of government into a democratic regime. Political development is very broad concept related to development of a political attitudes and values in order to form a political system whereas democratization is a single aspect of political development. Democratization plays an important role in increasing the salience of money in a political system (Budd, 2004, p. 109). The countries, which adopt democratic form of government, become able to make rapid economic progress as compared to those countries, which adopt authoritarian or other forms of governments. About democracy, Goldsmith (n.d.) states, “At the most general level, it is a form of government characterized by participation and contestation”. Democracy is the rule of citizens, which gives rise to the concepts of social equity and classlessness. “Democracy cannot exist without national sovereignty” (Megalommatis, 2008). Political development and democratization can also be distinguished in a sense that political development is a process of transition towards implementation of laws and allocation of resources whereas democratization is a transition from dictatorship to egalitarianism. A lot of factors influence the process of democratization, which include history of a country, economic environment, and members of the civil society. On the other hand, political development integrates all of these factors as well as political beliefs, values, and institutions to form a political system. Political development is a continuous process as it continues to incorporate political attitudes and beliefs in the political system whereas democratization is an adopted political structure with set dimensions and characteristics of the political system. Therefore, we cannot say that the processes of political development and democratization are equivalent. Role of Technology in Political Development Technology plays a considerable role in the political development. Media is one of the ways through which technology plays a role in political development of a country. Media makes use of broadcasting technology to create awareness among the citizens of any specific country and that awareness results in forming the shape of political development in the country. Media not only creates awareness among the public but also motivates the people to struggle for political development. Information is the key feature of media technology because without authentic and accurate information, media cannot be used to mobilize people to bring some change in the society. We can take the most recent example of Egypt where people have come out to raise their voice in order to develop a real democratic political structure. Face book is one of the widely used social website in Egypt, which provided the platform to the people of Egypt to form groups and struggle for some political change in the country. It is due to technology that people belonging to any part of the world have realized the importance of a proper political system. Political development needs some platform to organize people for bringing some change in the society and media technology provides the best possible platform to the political scientists. Communication and information technology helps in transforming public’s thoughts about political development and international relations (Hanson, 2008). It is the 21st century and the use of information technology has been expanded to all fields of life. Even if we talk about political development, the exceptional role of information technology in creating and implementing a suitable political system can never be denied. Political scientists gather information of political affairs using internet and analyze that information in accordance with the social and economic environment of their own countries. Based on the analysis, they integrate different valuable elements of a political structure to implement a right form of political system in their countries. Therefore, we can say that technology, in the form of media technology and information technology, plays a vital role in the political development process in any part of the world. What Is The Role Of a State In The Current World System? Before going into the discussion regarding role of state in the current world system, let us get to know what current world system actually is. The world consists of many countries, which have their own types of governments. Each country has its own set of rules and regulations, which make up the constitution of the country. Without a proper constitution, a government cannot handle its matters properly. Constitution not only makes a country run its government and public matters in an appropriate way but also helps the government of a country maintain good relations with other countries. Therefore, we can say that a country with a proper constitution is an integral part of the current world system. Now, if we talk about the role of a state in the current world system, we should take the example of different parts of a body, which perform their functions in order to make the body function accurately. If any of the parts does not work properly, the whole body gets affected. Same is the case with the current world system. In the current world system, all states need to work in proper collaboration with each other in order to resolve all issues of the world. The world has become global village and none of the countries can segregate itself from other countries of the world. If a society isolates itself from other societies, it cannot progress economically or socially. The role of the states is to solve all ongoing issues of the world through proper collaboration rather than segregating from other states. Today, none of the states can run the political or economic matters without analyzing the systems of other countries. Every state is responsible for strengthening the world economy because all states are interlinked with each other and mismanagement in any of the states results in disturbing the economic environment of the neighboring countries. It is because in the current world system, every country has some influence on the society and economy of other countries. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the states to maintain friendly relations with each other in order to promote friendship and strengthen the economy of the whole world. In the current world system, every state needs to fulfill its responsibility of maintaining peace in the world. Bad governance or improper political structure in any of the states not only destabilizes the economy of that state but also leads towards conflicts among many other states. Recently, we have seen the examples of Iraq and Afghanistan where there was no proper political structure and United States of America had to intervene in order to resolve their political issues. From the examples of Iraq and Afghanistan, it is clear that no country of the today’s world can afford unbalanced political system because it affects the political environment of the whole world. If a state shows rigid and unsupportive behavior to foreign states, it results in creating many problems not only for that state but also for the whole world and the result is never good for the peace of the world. In the World War II, German government was posing threat to its neighboring countries, which ultimately resulted in the defeat of Germany by the red army of the soviet states. From this example, we conclude that maintaining peaceful and friendly international relations is extremely important for a country to progress economically and politically. States play an important role in the economic growth of the world (Reinert, n.d.). The role of states in the current world system is to work in accordance with the interests and political and economic systems of other countries. Leaders of the states can play an important role in promoting social welfare and fostering economic development in the states (Bertucci & Alberti, 2004). Friendly international relations are of extreme importance for the political, social, and economic progress of a country. Therefore, we can say that role of all states in the current world system is of critical importance not only for establishing peace but also to stabilize the political and economic environment of the world. What Best Explains The International Behavior Of States? Cooperation and friendly ties with other countries can best explain the international behaviors of states. Maintaining friendly relations with the economic powers in order to get financial assistance and to strengthen the economy is one of the key behaviors of almost all countries of the world. Those countries get a lot of benefits which take steps to build long-term relations with developed countries. International behavior of states should be very cooperative and helpful towards other states because it helps the states build friendly and trustworthy relations with each other. Working in full cooperation with other countries and taking interest in solving the international issues also explains the international behavior of the states. A state must take appropriate steps in cooperation with other states in order to solve all ongoing issues of the present world. It is because mutual efforts of different countries towards resolution of a specific problem or issue not only results in getting a proper solution to the problem but also builds trust and friendship among the involved countries. Therefore, we can say that cooperation and friendly ties with other countries best explain the international behavior of the states. References Bertucci, G., & Alberti, A. (2004). Globalization and the Role of the State: Challenges and Perspectives. Retrieved from, http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan006225.pdf Budd, E. (2004). Democratization, Development, and the Patrimonial State in the Age of Globalization. Maryland: Lexington Books. Burnell, P. (2006). Democratization through the Looking-Glass. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. Goldsmith, A. (n.d.). Democratization in the 21st Century: What Can the United States Do?. Retrieved from, http://se2.isn.ch/serviceengine/Files/ESDP/55613/ichaptersection_singledocument/708F036D-A248-40C1-A2FE-47251BA4257B/en/07_Goldsmith.pdf Hanson, E. (2008). The Information Revolution and World Politics. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Hauss, C. (2003). Democratization. Retrieved from, http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/democratization/ Kingsbury, D. (2007). Political Development. Oxon: Routledge. Martinussen, J. (1997). Society, State and Market: A Guide to Competing Theories of Development. London: Zed Books. Megalommatis, M. (2008). What Does Democratization of ‘Ethiopia’ Mean?. Retrieved from, http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-does-democratization-of-ethiopia-mean.html Reinert, E. (n.d.). The Role of the State in Economic Growth. 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