Dependency Theory

Dependency theory is an idea that explains why some places in the world have a lot of money and others have very little. It says that some countries (called ‘developing’ countries) are poor because they are ‘dependent’ on richer countries (called ‘developed’ countries). It means that the poorer countries need the help of the richer countries to be able to get the things they need like food, money, or other resources. The richer countries control the poorer countries and don’t give them a chance to grow and make their own money. This keeps the poor countries from getting out of poverty, and the richer countries stay richer.