Capitalist Developmental Model.

                                                 Rostow Linear Stages Model

Rostow Model is a developmental model that serves to achieve modernity on the stance that all nations should pass through the same process. This review will first define the model itself, then it will discuss the pros and cons of the developmental model, critic the model depending on the advantages and disadvantages of the model and lastly I will do recommendations on the model taking into consideration the context of Papua New Guinea. Development according to Rostow comes from the outside and not from within as taught by philosophy, where it says in order to develop you have to know yourself first.

Firstly , according to the geographical encyclopedia the Rostow model refers to the process of modernity which reflects the human growth which means it is one way through. The development is classified according to three sectors, namely primary which is comprised of agricultural activity, secondary which refers to the processing stage and tertiary which reflects the industrialized countries. The motivation to division or categorizing a country as first world, second world and third world emerged as a result of these developmental model. And it has the following stages; the traditional societies, pre-condition to take off and the high consumption stage.

The pros of this model if you look critically at it, it does have any relevance to PNG. That is if you look at it from a PNG citizen’s point of view. Otherwise its cons are as follows;  it is a capitalist oriented model, intended to create market for the first world countries in the third world countries like PNG, it widens the gap between the rich and the poor, supports the independent thinkers way of life and not PNG which is a communal society. Further research i made have shown not a single pro of this model in use by us in PNG.

Now, the critical questions to ask ourselves now is, “Is this economic model practiced in PNG? How helpful is it in our country? And where is this model leading Papua New Guinea towards?

Papua New Guinea is practicing this model of development. We export our raw materials outside of the country thinking that we will earn a lot from exports. Thus the peripheral nations we are supplying the core or the developed nations with the resources to make them become even more powerful. We do not even think of bringing downstream processing into the country to help us develop ourselves. Papua New Guineans we are resource rich yet we rely on exporting resources out of the country. Personally I can say that PNG is heading towards the wrong direction that will make us become a poor nation. Mining seems to be mushrooming everywhere. The reason I believe is because PNG doesn't have law protecting the resources we have.

Rustow Linear Stages model is a capitalist model. In other words the model is not applicable in our country because it does not help to build us, rather it empties us. We then turn to them again for aid, without realizing that the money they aid the developing countries comes from us. We create the wealth for the developed countries and then we depend on them again. We are also trained to think and act like capitalists that’s why we create dependency syndrome for ourselves. Well i believe that if the elites now can realize our education system is designed in a way to make us think and act as capitalists. That is the whole reason why when degree holders graduate they apply for jobs rather than creating jobs for the others.

This reviews take home message is, the currently developed countries developed by colonizing the resource rich territories that are primitive according to the westerners economic scale. So what undiscovered territory will PNG depend on to develop itself, if this model is about following one way process and applicable to us?