Abstract
To test a fundamental hypothesis of ecological-evolutionary theory, that technical and economic heritage affects current rates and patterns of development, Third World societies were classified as industrializing agrarian or industrializing horticultural on the basis of their dominant subsistence technologies prior to sustained contact with industrial societies and industrial technology, and then compared on five basic dimensions: (1) current levels of technological and economic development, (2) informational resources, (3) rates of economic growth, (4) vital rates, and (5) trade dependency. Predicted differences were found on all dimensions. Alternative explanations were explored and rejected, and it was also demonstrated that these differences were not explained by netzwork position in the world economy or by recency of national independence. These findings suggest that the impact of techno-economic heritage on development merits further investigation. What forces determine the trajectories of development of societies in the modem world? Why have some societies been so much more successful than others in achieving economic growth and higher standards of living for their citizens? Various answers have been given to these questions in recent decades. Modernization theorists such as Parsons and Inkeles have stressed the importance of belief systems and values, following the early lead of
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