The dependency of peripheral nations on core regions is a well-described phenomenon in literature. This theory implies the former’s inability to promote growth while being dependent on the latter (Mahoney & Rodriguez-Franco, 2018). It is also reflected in the film “The End of Poverty?” narrating the circumstances of poor countries and their precondition (Diaz, 2008). In this way, it correlates with the theory specified above and provides information proving its credibility.
The first example of the problem’s origin connected to dependency is the history of European maritime travels and explorations. It started at the end of the fifteenth century and marked the beginning of the Age of Discovery (Diaz, 2008). This time was known for injustice towards indigenous peoples resulting from the attempts of England, Spain, and other countries to gain more wealth at their expense. Their actions led to the impossibility of being independent of the explorers since they owned their land and other resources.
Another example of the theory given in the film is the present-day neocolonialism that emerged after World War II. Researchers claim that the policies of western banks providing loans for developing countries did not improve their situation (Diaz, 2008). In contrast to the expectations, they resulted in an increase in poverty due to their inability to repay the debts (Diaz, 2008). Hence, the efforts of financial institutions added to the initial harm brought by the colonists.
By and large, the dependency theory can be explained in detail through the examples from the film. It explicitly demonstrates the development of the world’s current economic situation through the lens of injustice and exploitation of eastern countries. Thus, the phenomenon of unequal distribution of opportunities and, therefore, wealth is confirmed both by political thought and the film, and the latter allows tracing the emergence of problems in poor regions.
References
Diaz, P. (2008). The end of poverty? [Film]. Cinema Libre Studio.
Mahoney, J., & Rodríguez-Franco, D. (2018). Dependency theory. In C. Lancaster & N. v. d. Walle (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of the politics of development (pp. 22-42). Oxford University Press.