Q: Assess critically A. G. Frank’s theory of development of underdevelopment’.

Model Answer:

Andre Gunder Frank introduced the Development of Underdevelopment in Capitalism and Underdevelopment in Latin America, arguing underdevelopment is not a natural, backward stage, but a condition actively produced by global capitalism.

Metropolis-Satellite Model

Core Thesis: Frank posited that the affluent Metropolis (Global North) expropriates economic surplus from the Satellite (Global South), structurally trapping peripheral nations in poverty to fuel Western growth.

• F.H. Cardoso: Criticized Frank’s economic determinism, proposing “associated-dependent development” to prove satellites can industrialize and grow despite dependency.
• Immanuel Wallerstein: Advanced this via World Systems Theory, introducing the semi-periphery (e.g., Asian Tigers) to demonstrate structural mobility, which Frank’s rigid binary ignored.
• Internal Dynamics: Critics argue Frank overemphasized external exploitation while neglecting internal institutional failures, class conflicts, and corruption.

Frank’s thesis explains modern neo-colonialism. Unequal ecological exchange, exploitative MNC supply chains, and sovereign “debt-traps” in African nations vividly reflect ongoing metropolis-satellite extraction.

Conclusion

Though overly deterministic, Frank provided a crucial Marxist counter-narrative to Modernization theory. His framework remains foundational in sociology for analyzing the structural roots of global inequality.