REASSESSING THE STRUCTURE OF DEPENDENCY THEORY

Dependency theory is an economic model that describes how poorer countries rely on richer countries for development. It focuses on the relationship between periphery countries and center countries within the global economy. At times, dependency theory can be overly broad, and its structure could be changed for the better. A good start at this is a structure that Allen Sens describes. It uses four classifications instead of three, which helps better describe the relationships between countries. A review of three periphery countries (Nigeria, Haiti, and Qatar) helps us understand the realities of dependency theory. These periphery countries' dependency has been assessed in three ways: colonialism and imperialism, debt and political dependency or aid, and technology or industry.