ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Modernisation losers thesis

Okay kiddo, so you know how when something is new and better, it can mean that some things that used to work before might not work as well anymore? That's kind of what the modernisation losers thesis is all about.

When a society or country goes through a process of modernization, it means they are trying to become more modern or up-to-date with new ways of doing things. This might include things like new technology, new ways of working, or new ideas about what's important in life.

But when these changes happen, some people might get left behind or left out. For example, if a factory introduces new machinery to make things faster, some workers might lose their jobs because they don't know how to use the new machines. Or if a country starts to value education more, some people who didn't get a good education in the past might feel like they can't keep up.

These people who get left behind or left out are sometimes called "modernization losers." They are people who were doing okay before, but the changes that come with modernization end up hurting them in some way.

The modernization losers thesis is a way of talking about this phenomenon. It says that when a country modernizes, there are winners and losers. The winners are the people who benefit from the changes, like the factory owners who make more money by using the new machines. But the losers are the people who don't benefit and might even suffer, like the workers who lose their jobs.

So, the modernization losers thesis is a way of reminding us that even though modernization can bring a lot of good things, we need to be careful that we don't leave some people behind in the process. We need to try to find ways to make sure everyone can benefit from these changes, not just some people.
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