Political Order in Changing Societies
Encyclopedia
Political Order in Changing Societies is a 1968 book by Samuel P. Huntington
dealing with changes in the political system
s and political institutions. Huntington argues that those changes that are caused are by tensions within the political and social system.
Huntington criticizes the modernization theory
, arguing that its argument about economic change and development being the prime factors responsible for the creation of stable, democratic political systems is flawed. Huntington instead focus on other factors like urbanization
, increased literacy
, social mobilization, and economic growth
. He stresses that those factors are not significantly related to political development; in fact a major part of his argument is that those processes are related but distinct.
Huntington argues that order
itself is a crucial objective in developing countries. The existence (or lack) of the order should not be confused with the issue of the type of that order (both on political level - democratic, authoritarian, and on economic level - socialist, free-market, etc.)
Huntington makes the argument that while modernity equals stability, modernization is actually a cause for instability, due to urbanization, rising expectations due to literacy, education and the spread of media, etc.
Samuel P. Huntington
Samuel Phillips Huntington was an influential American political scientist who wrote highly-regarded books in a half-dozen sub-fields of political science, starting in 1957...
dealing with changes in the political system
Political system
A political system is a system of politics and government. It is usually compared to the legal system, economic system, cultural system, and other social systems...
s and political institutions. Huntington argues that those changes that are caused are by tensions within the political and social system.
Huntington criticizes the modernization theory
Modernization theory
Modernization theory is a theory used to explain the process of modernization within societies. The theory looks at the internal factors of a country while assuming that, with assistance, "traditional" countries can be brought to development in the same manner more developed countries have...
, arguing that its argument about economic change and development being the prime factors responsible for the creation of stable, democratic political systems is flawed. Huntington instead focus on other factors like urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
, increased literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
, social mobilization, and economic growth
Economic growth
In economics, economic growth is defined as the increasing capacity of the economy to satisfy the wants of goods and services of the members of society. Economic growth is enabled by increases in productivity, which lowers the inputs for a given amount of output. Lowered costs increase demand...
. He stresses that those factors are not significantly related to political development; in fact a major part of his argument is that those processes are related but distinct.
Huntington argues that order
Social order
Social order is a concept used in sociology, history and other social sciences. It refers to a set of linked social structures, social institutions and social practices which conserve, maintain and enforce "normal" ways of relating and behaving....
itself is a crucial objective in developing countries. The existence (or lack) of the order should not be confused with the issue of the type of that order (both on political level - democratic, authoritarian, and on economic level - socialist, free-market, etc.)
Huntington makes the argument that while modernity equals stability, modernization is actually a cause for instability, due to urbanization, rising expectations due to literacy, education and the spread of media, etc.
Quote
- "The most important political distinction among countries concerns not their form of government but their degree of government."
- "The primary thesis of this book is that [the violence and instability characteristic of the post-WWII era] was in large part the product of rapid social change and the rapid mobilization of new groups into politics coupled with the slow development of political institutions"
- "The primary problem of politics is the lag in the development of political institutions behind social and economic change"
External links
- Reviewed by Francis Fukuyama, Foreign Affairs, September/October 1997
- Review author[s: A. F. K. Organski, The American Political Science Review, Vol. 63, No. 3. (Sep., 1969), pp. 921-922. ]
- Gordon C. Ruscoe, Comparative Education Review, Vol. 14, No. 3, Papers and Proceedings: Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, Atlanta Georgia, March 22-24, 1970. (Oct., 1970), pp. 385-386.