The developmental state in pre-revolutionary Iran
$7.95
8 word format
document in English
political science
presentation
published 04/11/2008
review : Completed
level : Advanced
requested 0 times
Summary
The oft-repeated maxim of Italian politics, that when Mussolini was in power, “at least the trains ran on time,” while probably inaccurate, summarizes well the widely popular belief that authoritarianism serves for (sometimes brutal) efficiency in government. Indeed the opposite saying in the democratic United States—“It would take an act of Congress”—implies that the act in question is impossible. The idea of the inefficiency of democracy goes back far into history: indeed no democracy could have built a city for the ruling class from nothing, simply by command, as Peter the Great did in Russia. Some have even argued that the American founding fathers set up a democratic republic specifically because its inefficiency would keep the government out of the lives of the populace. Given this widespread, if understated, belief, it is unsurprising that this concept of the efficiency of authoritarianism found its way into academic theories of economic development.
Table of Contents
- Introduction.
- The oft-repeated maxim of Italian politics.
- Applying Johnson's idea of the non-democratic developmental state to pre-revolutionary Iran.
- Johnson and authoritarianism.
- Why Iran fits Johnson's definition of a development state .
- Iran development plans.
- Why the plans failed: how that relates to Johnson's thesis.
- Conclusion.
Most downloaded documents over 30 days in political science Latest in the category political science From the same author
knowledge network
