The Non-Capitalist Way of Development

Abstract

The "non-capitalist way of development" (NCWD) is proposed by development theorists from socialist bloc countries as a political economy alternative to capitalist and populist development strategies. NCWD (the theory and strategy and its proponents) offers a conception of development that goes beyond the prevailing socioeconomic determinism to include politics and class struggle as part of the development process in those least developed Third World countries where the "revolutionary democrats" hold state power. The NCWD strategy argues that if this leadership is "vigorously" supported by the parties of the working classes and by the socialist countries, it can bring about a non-capitalist transformation of the socioeconomic formation, as a result of which the objective and/or subjective conditions for a socialist revolution would be prepared. I find the NCWD strategy more radical than its rivals with respect to its treatment of such issues as imperialism, internal politics and socioeconomic transformation. However, it suffers from a number of misconceptions, particularly about the nature of the impact of imperialism on the Third World, the class structure and conflict in these societies, the nature of the state in the post-national democratic revolutions, and the program it proposes for socioeconomic transformations. This paper exposes the conceptual framework of NCWD, examines its historical roots, critically evaluates its pros and cons and offers speculation for its reformulation.