Modernization Theory: The Nigerian State

For years now, modernization theory has been of constant reference in both the sociological and political realms. The theory claims that democracy and wealth are directly correlated. Based on many statistics, the theory's assumption is correct. As we have seen in Land's End and in our discussions in class, the better people are financially means that the country is more likely to be democratic. 

Although Indonesia was a democracy before the emergence of cacao as we saw in Land’s End, it is undeniable that cacao played a role in the continued development of the Indonesian state. With that being said, Indonesia is still a poor country despite the emergence of cacao. However, the agricultural economy was one of the few ways in which many of its citizens were able to make money. As a result, it is hard to argue that the emergence of cacao did not influence a sturdier economy and greater development. Here, I will focus on the Nigerian state, a country that is a perfect example for analyzing modernization theory (Nigeria is a weak democracy that used to be a monarchy). As is with Indonesia, Nigeria is a poor state that has a high poverty rate, thus drawing questions about the citizen’s social and economic well-being.

The sociological impact of modernization theory on the state of Nigeria is extremely important. As I claimed above, Nigeria's government, although a democracy, is weak and has almost been labeled a failed state. This is due to the constant military coups that have occurred after the ousting of Nigeria's dictator in the 1990's. However, as a member of OPEC, Nigeria's government’s access to the oil fields has not triggered a collapse of democracy, which is a direct antithesis of the resource curse but runs parallel to the ideology of modernization theory.

The people of Nigeria, however, are extremely poor in comparison to other nations. According to the CIA World FactBook, approximately 20.3% of the Nigerian population work in the agricultural industry. As a result, it would be extremely difficult for a country with such an emphasis on agriculture to be wealthy. In addition, 70% of the Nigerian population is "below the poverty line," a statistic that is quite alarming. Due to the high poverty rate, education is affected as well, which directly influences the social and economic well-being of the population. Also according to the CIA World FactBook, only 60% of Nigerians are literate, which directly influences the education background for Nigeria. According to the World Values Survey, only 5% of Nigerians earn a college degree, which is extremely detrimental to the well-being of the Nigerian state. Education is said to be the key to a good life, both socially and economically. Thus, if denizens of the state are unable to get a good education (12% of respondents never received formal education), the sociological and economic impact will be tremendous.

Yet, despite this information, the World Values Survey results regarding “feeling of happiness” is somewhat contradictory of the Nigerian people living in a poor country. Despite the country’s poor economic status and high reliance on agriculture, according to the WVS, approximately 85% of respondents were either “quite or rather happy,” a statistic that is extremely high considering the economic and social factors that seemed to plague the social and economic realms in Nigeria.  

However, it is important to analyze this from a more sociological view, as I did above. According to Freedom House, which is an organization that judges countries on a scale of 1-7 regarding its political and social freedoms, Nigeria was scored a 4.5/7, indicating that the state is “partly free.” Despite the country being a democracy, this score is unsurprising considering the government’s instability. Yet, from a sociological standpoint, the citizens of Nigeria have rights that many other countries in Africa do not grant their citizens. For example, Nigerians scored a 5 on civil liberties (which can be compared to a state like Sudan, which scored the worst possible: 7), and although this is not a great statistic, it is certainly better than in many other countries. Since Nigerians have rights, it is likely that this factors into their feeling of happiness.

Yet, the reasoning behind the citizens having rights is due to modernization theory and the emergence of democracy. Most dictatorships are scored as a seven, so democracy has an extreme impact on the social and economic well-being of the Nigerian citizens. As a result of the increased rights in Nigeria, the people are happier, and even though many Nigerians are still below the poverty line, modernization theory clearly works in the Nigerian case. The country is continuing to grow both socially and economically, as the GDP growth rate is 4%, which is better than the United States’ 2.6% GDP growth rate. As a result, the emergence of democracy has helped to improve the Nigerian state in terms of the sociological and economic well-being of the Nigerian citizens. Thus, at least in the Nigerian example, modernization theory works.

Sources:

Freedom House. "Nigeria." Freedom House.org. 2016. 25 April 2016. https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2016 

CIA World FactBook. "Nigeria." CIAWorldFactBook.org. 2015. 25 April 2016. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni.html 

World Values Survey. "Nigeria." Feeling of Happiness. WorldValuesSurvey.org. 2010-2014. 25 April 2016. http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSOnline.jsp

Nigerian Embassy. "Nigerian Flag Picture." NigerianEmbassy.nu. 25 April 2016. http://nigerianembassy.nu/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/nigeria-map-flag.jpg