IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envira/v26y1994i2p285-305.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

National Development Paths 1965–1987: Measuring a Metaphor

Author

Listed:
  • R J Horvath

    (Department of Geography, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia)

Abstract

The path-of-development metaphor registers in language the idea that the conditions of existence of people get better (or worse in the case of underdevelopment) in particular ways. To measure a metaphor, in this paper, a method of moving between the figurative and the literal is used. Development paths for 150 nations are measured for the period 1965–87 by using a methodology that can be described as historical factorial ecology. The measurement of development paths involves analytically combining the social, historical, and geographical dimensions of the development and underdevelopment process, an interpretation of which requires and encourages a combining of the sociological, historical, and geographical imaginations. The findings indicate that the debates within development theory resulted from different theories focusing upon different types of development paths. Development is complexly multidimensional with economic and social development paths resembling the linear and multilinear claims of orthodox modernization theory and with political development paths approximating the antilinear claims of underdevelopment theories. Development and underdevelopment theorists, like the blind wise men encountering the elephant, each described only parts of the beast, assuming that the economic trunk was identical to its political leg.

Suggested Citation

  • R J Horvath, 1994. "National Development Paths 1965–1987: Measuring a Metaphor," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 26(2), pages 285-305, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:26:y:1994:i:2:p:285-305
    DOI: 10.1068/a260285
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1068/a260285
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1068/a260285?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brian J. L. Berry, 1960. "An Inductive Approach To The Regionalization Of Economic Development," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(1), pages 83-84, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Robert A. Bernstein & Peter D. Weldon, 1968. "A structural approach to the analysis of international relations," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 12(2), pages 159-181, June.
    2. Rolando Franco, 1976. "Latin American typology: An essay on measuring social discontinuities," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 3(3), pages 275-372, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:26:y:1994:i:2:p:285-305. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.