How do internal elites in developing countries contribute to dependency theory’s explanation of underdevelopment?

In the context of dependency theory, internal elites in developing countries are viewed as key facilitators of the global economic structures that perpetuate underdevelopment. Rather than acting solely in the interest of their own nations, these powerful domestic groups often share economic interests with the core industrialized economies.12

Their contribution to dependency is characterized by several factors:

• Alignment with Core Interests: Internal elites often maintain ties with the global "core," prioritizing policies that favor foreign investment and international trade relations over domestic industrial diversification.12
• Maintenance of Structural Distortions: By supporting economic models that rely on the export of raw materials and cheap labor, these elites help sustain the historical patterns of colonialism that keep their nations in a peripheral position.123
• Transnational Class Dynamics: Dependency theorists emphasize that these transnational classes and class structures are essential for sustaining the global economy, as they manage the local environment to ensure the continued extraction of capital surpluses by the core.2

Ultimately, this collaboration ensures that the periphery remains economically exploited, as domestic elites often benefit from the existing unequal global order at the expense of sustainable national development.123