Page 53 - The World About Us

Jakarta
1.1.1
2.2.3

What are the weaknesses of Rostow's model?

Any geographical model is a simplifica- A further cri cism is that Rostow's killing of over 2.5 million people under the
on of the real world. This simplifica on model is not an unbiased theory but a Khmer Rouge in the 1970s cannot be
helps iden fy key pa erns and the main highly poli cal, social argument. Walt explained by Rostow’s theory. Neither could
processes at work. The descrip on on page Whitman Rostow was an advisor to two US it explain the 1990s collapse of the Russian
52 is itself a simplifica on of Rostow's actual Presidents; John F Kennedy and Lyndon economy at the end of the Cold War nor the
model. Johnson. His book was sub tled “A Non- decades-long devasta on of Afghanistan.
One of the key cri cisms of Rostow's Communist Manifesto” and was a conscious Many also reject the model as it
model is that it was based on the historical interven on in the Cold War ‘ba le of suggests that the current way the world
path of Europe and North America. It ideas’. economy is organised is the best it could
assumes it is this same path that all Rostow’s theory was used to argue for ever be. Many people reject this poin ng to
countries must follow as they develop. the superiority of western capitalism over inequality and environmental destruc on.
Rostow also assumed that all countries the inferior paths to development followed A 2017 New York Times ar cle looking
were similar in their physical geography by either Russia or China. back on Rostow’s influence suggested, “in
with a large popula on and with significant Rostow's theory was historical. It was his determina on to impose his sterile ideas
and appropriate natural resources. This based solely on past events and so couldn't on the complicated reali es of Southeast
does not apply to small land-locked look ahead. Some events could undermine Asia, he proved to be as ideologically
countries such as Rwanda and Burundi or his view of a linear development. The commi ed as the Communists he so
the island na ons of the Pacific. destruc on of the Cambodian economy and adamantly opposed.”
How well does Rostow's model apply to Indonesia?

As we have already seen, Indonesia investment in anthropology.
has a very diverse geography which has In many of the outlying islands of
led to a widely varied path of economic Indonesia, Stage 2 of Rostow's model
development. It is, therefore, not easy to
best describes the economy.
slot Indonesia simply into one of
Transna onal corpora ons are inves ng
Rostow's five stages.
heavily in par cular sectors of the
In parts of Indonesia there are clearly economy, such as oil, tex les, palm oil,
s ll pockets of tribal peoples subsis ng rubber and minerals.
at Stage 1, living in tradi onal socie es. In West Java, the economy has
The Mentawai people, who inhabit
reached 'take off', with rapid rural-to-
islands off the coast of Sumatra, s ll live
urban migra on sucking hundreds of fig.146 Shopping mall capital. For many
in a semi-nomadic hunter-gather society.
thousands of people into the capital city, middle class Indonesians the age of mass
fig.145 Mentawai men in tsunami training. Jakarta. This is true of other Javan ci es consump on has already arrived in Jakarta.
and their metropolitan areas, such as
Bandung (8.4 million), Surabaya (9.1 KEY TERMS
million), Semarang (6.5 million),
Surakarta (2.7 million), Yogyakarta (4 Economic maturity: according to
million) and Grebon (2.5 million). Rostow, a society in which
These ci es and the industrial zones agriculture is mostly mechanised
around them are drawing in more and most people are employed in
people as well as foreign investment. tertiary (service) jobs.
L'Oreal recently invested $125 million in Take off: a period of intense and
a new hair and skin care products factory rapid economic growth in which
at the Jababeka Industrial Estate, sixty
At the far end of the archipelago, the manufacturing drives the economy
kilometres east of Jakarta.
Korowai people live close to the border to expand.
of New Guinea. Numbering just 3,000 In parts of Jakarta, it could be argued, Mass consumption: the ability of
they s ll prac ce shi ing-cul va on the economy has almost reached the the vast majority of a population to
hor culture. However, increasingly they stage of high mass consump on. While buy a wide variety of consumer
are making a living hos ng tourists. In most Indonesians remain low paid and goods.
2011, a televison camera team poor, a minority have large disposable
commissioned one village to build a incomes and are happily spending their Traditional society: a social system
‘tradi onal’ 35 metre high tree house for cash on consumer goods. Jakarta holds based on primitive agriculture or
the documentary series “Human Planet”: the record for the greatest floor area of hunting within, and gathering food
a very par cular form of foreign direct shopping malls of any city on the planet. from, natural ecosystems.

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Many factors contribute to a country’s economic development.