Monograph examining the economic policy relationship between underdevelopment, neo-colonialism and unequal exchange in factors relating to economic development in developing countries - discusses the past and present inequalities in commodity trade, capital flow and technology transfer, and concludes that the continuance of inequality is rooted in capitalist ruling classes of developing countries themselves. Bibliography pp. 186 to 195, graphs and statistical tables.

First published in 1991 this text provides an incisive analysis of theories concerning the origins of economic inequality between nations. Central to the author’s investigation is the concept of underdevelopment, and a focus on successive Western ‘systems of conceptualisation’ of the relationship between the west and the rest of the world. The first part of the book concerns the Marx/Engels theory of the Asiatic mode of production, and the anti-Imperialist reaction against Eurocentrisim initiated by the theoretical synthesis of J. A. Hobson. This is followed by an examination of the post-World War II era, particularly the evolution of development studies and the differing versions of dependency theory. The author concludes with an analysis of the most recent reactions against economic imperialism and dependency theory, and concludes with an assessment of their implications for the further economic development of today’s Third World.

Mahdi Amel (1936–87) was a prominent Arab Marxist thinker and Lebanese Communist Party member. This first-time English translation of his selected writings sheds light on his notable contributions to the study of capitalism in a colonial context.

Examines underdevelopment in Asia, Africa and Latin America through the analysis of unequal means of production and trade relations within the process of capital formation. Analyses how differential transformation of productive, social and political relations have led to capitalist development, and challenges classical and neo-classical development theories, international division of labour, doctrines of comparative advantage and free trade, etc.