The ideas of Samir Amin: Theory or tautology?
- 1 October 1980
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in The Journal of Development Studies
- Vol. 17 (1) , 5-20
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388008421777
Abstract
This paper presents an exposition and a critique of the ideas of Samir Amin. Section I summarises Amin's views on the necessity of an analysis of under development at the world level, on the nature of peripheral economies, and on the economic relationships between centre and periphery. Section II provides a critique of these ideas, in terms of both their logical consistency and their implications for research and for economic policy. Section III draws together these criticisms. The paper concludes that Samir Amin's ideas are logically inconsistent, tautological, and imprudent in the sense that they effectively pre‐empt theoretically and politically important work on specific economies, institutions and agencies.Keywords
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