An examination of the applicability of the growth pole theory to developing countries

Abstract

The backwardness of developing countries is of concern to all students of economic development, particularly to those concerned with formulating programs for correcting regional inbalances within these countries. To this end, a lot of theories have been put forward by economists and by regional geographers.In this thesis an examination is trade of the growth pole theory and its applicability to solving the problems of regional inbalances in developing countries. First, the theory is examined in the light of other development theories. Second, an evaluation is made of the success of growth pole policies and programs in Latin America where a large variety of such programs have been studied. Last, on the basis of knowledge and experiences in Latin America, a theoretical growth pole model is made for Rhodesia. This model employs urban systems on a regional basis do correct inbalances caused by "line-of rail" development, a situation typical of developing countries.