The Structure of Dependence

In the last chapter, Lipton stressed the importance of the internal determinants of inequality. In this chapter, Theotonio dos Santos, a Brazilian economist,, points his finger at external conditions. Dos Santos is a member of what has been called the “dependentista school” of development thinkers, the great majority of whom are Latin American intellectuals. Dependency theory comes in many varieties; indeed, some argue that there is no such thing as dependency “theory.” Nonetheless, there is a body of thinking that is common to many of those who form part of this school, and in this chapter dos Santos presents a concise statement of some of its fundamental tenets. He begins by defining dependence and showing…