DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: HISTORICA BACKGROUND (BACKGROUND NOTE: DRC, 2006)

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Assumption

It was noted earlier that the concepts of justice and poverty are multidimensional. In this study God’s justice, which is believed to be distributive, will be emphasised. This justice corresponds to legal justice but tallies better with the will of God which desires that any person created in God’s image should respect the dignity of the human person in a spirit of love and sharing. There is a new urgency to the challenge of Jesus who called persons to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and care for the sick. In terms of the current situation, we can agree with Messer that there is no lack of food in the world, but rather a lack of political will and personal compassion (Messer, 2005:1). It is with this view of justice in mind that theological ethics can be established for the purpose of the eradication of poverty.

Causes of Underdevelopment

Since the end of the Second World War, an increasing number of scholars from different fields have paid attention to the development problems facing Third World countries. Different approaches have been adopted in order to understand the root causes of underdevelopment in this part of the world. According to Stockwell and Laidlow (1981:5), these approaches can be grouped into the following categories: the psychological, the ideal type, the diffusionist, and the theory of dependency approaches.

The Psychological Approach

Supporters of this approach seek to account for the presence or absence of economic growth in terms of general personality traits or an inner psychic state that is characteristic of a particular society (Stockwell and Laidlaw, 1981:6). Rooted in Max Weber’s classical analysis of the emergence of the Protestant ethic, the psychological approach states that the lack of development in a particular society is due to an insufficient number of people who possess the traits that are viewed as essential in order for development to occur (Stockwell and Laidlaw, 1981: 6). The possession of traits relates to personality. Hagen (1962: 99) defines ‘personality’ as the complex of qualities other than purely bodily ones which determine how an individual will behave in any given 111 situation. Hagen (1962: 105) argues that several personality traits are associated with economic development.

The Ideal Type Approach

This approach groups societies into various types on the basis of characteristics that claim to be indicative of different stages of development. Hence, economic development is viewed as nothing more than a process of change in which developing countries become more like industrialised ones (Stockwell and Laidlaw, 1981: 8-9). In other words, the development of poor countries will mainly depend on their becoming at least ‘westernised’ (Stockwell and Laidlaw, 1981: 9). Stockwell and Laidlaw wonder how this will happen, because this approach does not indicate how a transition from the traditional society to a modern one is supposed to take place.

The Diffusionist Approach

Diffusion is understood to be a process through which a cultural item rooted in one society is transferred to another. In its narrow sense, this concept is regarded as a process whereby a less developed country adopts a particular item or items from a more industrialised society in order to improve its own development (Stockwell and Laidlaw, 1981: 11). This approach points out that facts, such as lacking the surplus capital needed to invest in development programmes, possessing a low level of technology, and having a low need for achievement due to a social structure characterised by the status quo, are the main causes of underdeveloped societies.

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The Dependency Theory

This theory was developed during the 1960s by Latin American scientists looking for solutions as well as an explanation to the economic problems faced in their part of the world (Reitsma and Kleinpenning, 1989: 221). The dependency theory is concerned with the unequal relationship which exists between imperialist, developed countries and dependent, underdeveloped countries. The main problem here is to keep underdeveloped countries dependent upon more industrialised countries in order to meet the needs of the imperialists.

TABLE OF CONTENTS :

DECLARATION
SUMMARY
KEY WORDS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABBREVIATIONS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE ORIENTATION TO THE STUDY
- 1. 1 INTRODUCTION
  - 1. 1. 1 Statement of the Problem
  - 1. 1. 2 Goals and Objectives of the Study
  - 1. 1. 3 Assumption
  - 1.1. 4 Methodology
  - 1. 1. 5 Significance of the Study
  - 1. 1. 6 Definition of Terms
- 1. 2 RESEARCH APPROACH
  - 1. 2. 1 Case Study
  - 1. 2. 2 Literature Review
  - 1. 2. 3 Questionnaire
  - 1. 2. 4 Interview
- 1. 3 DELIMITATIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
- 1. 4 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: HISTORICA BACKGROUND (BACKGROUND NOTE: DRC, 2006)
  - 1. 4. 1 Geography
  - 1. 4. 2 People
  - 1. 4. 3 Government
  - 1. 4. 4 Economy
- 1. 5 OUTLINE OF THE PROPOSED STUDY
CHAPTER TWO GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE CONCEPT OF JUSTICE
- 2. 1 INTRODUCTION
- 2. 2 DEFINITIONS
- 2. 3 BIBLICAL BACKGROUNG OF THE CONCEPT
  - 2. 3. 1 The Concept of Justice in the Old Testament
  - 2. 3. 2 The Concept of Justice in the Intertestamental Period
  - 2. 3. 3 Justice in the New Testament
- 2. 4 STATE OF JUSTICE IN THE GOVERNING INSTITUTIONS OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
- 2. 5 SUMMARY
CHAPTER THREE GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE PHENOMENON OF POVERTY
- 3. 1 INTRODUCTION
- 3. 2 POVERTY: DEFINITIONS
- 3. 3 UNDERSTANDING POVERTY
  - 3. 3. 1 Poverty and Inequality
  - 3. 3. 2. 1 Causes of Underdevelopment
  - 3. 3. 2. 1. 1 The Psychological Approach
  - 3. 3. 2. 1. 2 The Ideal Type Approach
  - 3. 3. 2. 1. 3 The Diffusionist Approach
  - 3. 3. 2. 1. 4 The Dependency Theory
  - 3. 4 DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND INDUSTRIALISATION
  - 3. 5 DEVELOPING COUNTRIES VIS-À-VIS WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, AND WORLD BANK
  - 3. 5. 1 Developing Countries and the WTO
  - 3. 5. 2 Developing Countries and the IMF
  - 3. 5. 3 Developing Countries and the World Bank
- 3. 6 THE EFFECT OF GLOBALISATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
  - 3. 6. 1 Definitions
  - 3. 6. 2 Effects of Globalisation
  - 3. 6. 2. 1 Views on Globalisation
  - 3. 6. 2. 1. 1 Proponents of Globalisation
  - 3. 6. 2. 1. 2 Opponents of Globalisation
- 3. 7 CAUSES OF POVERTY
- 3. 8 SUMMARY
CHAPTER FOUR THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: A CASE STUDY OF POVERTY
CHAPTER FIVE THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN JUSTICE AND POVERTY ERADICATION IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
CHAPTER SIX THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS ON POVERTY
CHAPTER SEVEN CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS