Big Push
Background
Big Push is a term popularized in the mid-20th century within the realm of development economics. Dominating the discourse on how underdeveloped nations could escape the trap of poverty and low growth, it revolves around the idea of synchronizing the expansion of multiple sectors simultaneously to ensure sustainable economic development.
Historical Context
The Big Push concept emerged post-World War II when many newly independent countries sought ways to accelerate their economic development. Economist Paul Rosenstein-Rodan played a pivotal role in framing this doctrine, contending that piecemeal advances in certain sectors would be insufficient for sparking widespread, balanced economic growth.
Definitions and Concepts
In development economics, the Big Push theory states that robust development requires a coordinated, large-scale investment across numerous economic sectors. It posits that isolated or staggered investments can lead to imbalances and inefficiencies which stagnate overall growth.
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Normative Perspective: From a normative viewpoint, the doctrine implies that government intervention is necessary to strategically plan and distribute investments. The central planning ensures that all sectors gain resources for synchronous growth.
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Positive Perspective: From a positive standpoint, the doctrine suggests that capital formation is inherently tied to balanced growth. No single sector can significantly drive forward the economy unless generalized advances and infrastructure developments distribute wealth and productivity across the board.
Major Analytical Frameworks
Classical Economics
Classical economists like Adam Smith advocated for the natural progression of market forces to equilibrate, which contrasts with the Big Push’s advocacy for structured and simultaneous investments.
Neoclassical Economics
Neoclassical economics, with its focus on marginal productivity and individual firm optimization, often overlooks the need for coordinated sectoral development which forms the core of the Big Push doctrine.
Keynesian Economics
Keynesian economic thought supports the idea of government intervention, making it somewhat aligned with the Big Push strategy. Keynesians believe in stimulus measures to boost aggregate demand, which complements large-scale, coordinated investments.
Marxian Economics
Marxian economics focusses on the aspect of capital acceleration and equitability. However, the synchrony across sectors emphasized by the Big Push theory can be seen as addressing structural weaknesses identified by Marxian frameworks.
Institutional Economics
Institutional economists would support the idea that coordinated investment planned through institutions is crucial as policies should take into account all intertwined segments of an economy.
Behavioral Economics
Behavioral economics might highlight the importance of understanding decision-making biases that could distort the strategic deployment of resources essential in a Big Push scenario.
Post-Keynesian Economics
Post-Keynesians might approve of the intrinsic attentive focus on capital formation and balanced, simultaneous development since stagnation in capitalism is due to underconsumption and inadequate aggregate demand.
Austrian Economics
Austrian economics’ skepticism of centralized planning stands in contrast to the Big Push, instead advocating that free-market mechanisms best dictate investment directions.
Development Economics
Development economics embodies the essence of the Big Push, stressing structured synergic resource allocation to leapfrog economic roadblocks.
Monetarism
Monetarists would focus more on controlling the money supply and managing inflation rather than emphasizing sector-specific synchronous development.
Comparative Analysis
Comparative analyses of economies that undertook big-push versus staggered growth strategies often show higher initial instability in big-push policies but reveal sustained long-term growth when well-implemented.
Case Studies
Examples such as the post-war Marshall Plan in Europe or South Korea’s concerted industrial push in the latter half of the 20th century exhibit practical applications of the Big Push theory and its positive outcomes where cross-sector investment was crucial.
Suggested Books for Further Studies
- “The Strategy of Economic Development” by Albert O. Hirschman
- “Stages of Economic Growth” by W.W. Rostow
- “Economic Development: Theory and Practice for a Divided World” by E. Wayne Nafziger
Related Terms with Definitions
- Balanced Growth: Economic strategy wherein all sectors grow at consistent rates, preventing bottlenecks.
- Capital Formation: Process of building up the capital stock of a country through investing in sectors such as industry and infrastructure.
- Government Intervention: Active involvement by the government in the economy to correct market failures and enhance economic stability.
