THE MARGINALIZATION OF SOCIAL-WELFARE IN DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES - THE RELEVANCE OF THEORIES OF SOCIAL-POLICY DEVELOPMENT

Social welfare development has been marginalized in many developing co untries. This study examines the social policies of developing countri es and refers to four major theories of social policy development (soc ial conscience, modernization, dependency and diffusion) to see if the y offer an explanation of the phenomenon. It is argued that dependency theory and diffusion theory provide better interpretations than the o ther two theories. The paper shows how theories of social policy have international relevance in explaining current trends in social welfare .