Which model outlines five stages of development from traditional society to a high mass consumption economy?

• A. New International Division of Labor
• B. World System Analysis
• C. Post-Fordist Production
• D. Rostow's Model

Answer: (D)

Rostow's five-stage model describes a linear path from traditional society toward a high mass consumption economy. It starts with traditional society, where the economy relies mainly on subsistence agriculture and limited technology. Then come the preconditions for take-off, a phase in which infrastructure, institutions, and capital accumulation begin to change the economic base and set the stage for sustained growth. The take-off stage marks a tipping point with rapid, self-sustained growth in select sectors, accompanied by increasing investment and structural transformation. The drive to maturity follows, during which the economy diversifies, technology diffuses, and broad-based development lifts broad segments of the population. Finally, the age of high mass consumption features widespread affluence, a shift toward service industries, and a consumer-oriented society with substantial purchasing power.

This framework is distinct from models that emphasize global power structures or shifts in production networks, which focus on unequal exchange, core-periphery dynamics, or flexible production rather than a single, linear sequence of five stages toward mass consumption.