AsiaInstituteforSocialPoliticalandEconomicResearch

Matt Junker's recent analysis of the applicability of dependency theory to the relationship of China and developing states in Africa is a remarkable piece of scholarship for a young man taking his first steps toward a scholarly career.  He analyzed the complex dynamics of state relations and argued that China is perpetuating neo-colonialism in Africa in partnership with the political elites in Angola, South Africa, and Sudan.  In accordance with dependency theory, he identifies the state superstructure as being the source of what he views to be an ultimately exploitative relationship.  He argues that this state sponsored violence can only be overcome if African states bind themselves together to exert greater bargaining pressure on China so that these exploitative relations can be moved toward a more favorable outcome for the African states.  I find myself in sympathy with his initial analysis of the problem.  Groups of people are utilizing political power to control resources and are engaging in activities that can easily be classified as exploitative.  However, I find the later part of his argument to require refinement.  If political elites dominating the state promote the existing exploitative relations, why would they when acting in concert with one another pursue policies that would benefit the development of their societies instead of using their positions for their own personal gain?
 
I think dependency theory is a powerful tool of analysis that points out how political elites can cooperate with dominant states to the disadvantage of their people.  One of the biggest problems for development in many developing states is the fact that political elites have expropriated property rights for a countries common resources to themselves.  These resource rich countries then become bogged down into conflicts about dividing the resources rather than tapping human ingenuity to generate wealth.  Whether it is oil in Sudan and Angola or metal ores in Zambia, the outcome is the same, a failure to grow and an emphasis on violence at the expense of productive activity.  Those who embrace the class analysis of dependency theory ultimately embrace a philosophy that intensifies the use of violence.
 
If my intuition is correct, Junker's argument is not radical enough.  The rule of law and the protection of property rights needs to become the focal point for political activists inside African societies.  Focusing on collective action or collective communal action will only intensify the violence that he perceives in China's mercantilist approach to trade with Africa.  By building the appropriate legal infrastructures and entering into serious and deliberate inquiries into property, African citizens will begin to focus on creating the conditions that will enable them to negotiate better lives in a market that emphasizes innovation, creativity, and industry in place of violence.  If individuals are empowered with legal rights and elites are made accountable to the people through a transparent investigation of how public resources are being allocated, individuals can begin to intelligently respond to the opportunities that they can find to improve their quality of life.  Statism is what dependency theory reveals to be at the root of human suffering.  Affirming the dignity of the individual through law, democracy, and markets is how neo-colonialism will be defeated.