“Some feel Multinational Corporations (MNCs) are a vital new road to economic growth, whereas others feel they perpetuate underdevelopment.’ Discuss.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Route 1 growth thesis (Friedman, Bhagwati) vs underdevelopment (Frank, Myrdal)
Route 2 growth ≠ development; structural dependence obscured by GDP gains
pro-growth: FDI, employment, knowledge transfer → BUT Frank’s trap: wealth extraction → Myrdal’s backwash → Nye’s sovereignty mechanisms (mispricing, extraterritoriality) → Stiglitz: political autonomy lost → Wallerstein’s core-periphery: unequal exchange entrenched
glocalisation (Appadurai), post-sovereign governance (Basel, OECD) as partial corrections — insufficient without structural control
Route 1 growth alone is hollow; development requires ownership, autonomy, equity
Route 2 MNCs generate growth within a structure that perpetuates underdevelopment
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
Also asked on this head
Key Concepts in International Relations — 9 questions in the Vault.
- Transnational actors have qualitatively transformed the world by the way of their fresh insights and actions. Illustrate your answer with suitable examples.
- Discuss the conceptual dimensions of collective security.
- Discuss the utility of Nuclear Deterrence Theory in the context of the recent standoff between India and Pakistan.
How this is taught
The same flow snapshot, built for every head of the syllabus, with the answer written in class.
The first session of Foundation 2027 is published in full.
Six programmes across three levels.