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THE Global North and THE Global South
Education
Bohol Island State University
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THE GLOBAL NORTH and THE GLOBAL SOUTH
I. Introduction “An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.” - Plutarch -
The World has seen great strides in the advancement of technology and comes with it the efficient production of goods and services. Accumulation of wealth has been the order of the day but the ever elusive equal distribution of such is far too distant. The classless society as envisioned by Karl Marx is illusory, there will be always distinction among them. The same holds true with nations, there will always be a great divide. However, the widening of the gap between “the haves and have not” will only benefit groups with twisted concept, taking advantage of social unrest it breeds. It is imperative that inclusive growth is to be attained, everyone must be benefitted, no nation should be left behind.
II. Objectives 1. Explain the origin of the term Global North/South 2. Analyse how a new conception of global relations emerged from the experiences of Latin American countries
III. Preliminary Activities
1. TBA
IV. Lesson Proper
The Great Divide
“After the Second World War, nations were principally classified according to their alignment between the American West and the Russian East, or between the Western capitalism and Soviet socialism, respectively. The United States, Western Europe and their allies were branded as First World countries, whereas those in the East like the Soviet Union, China and “friends” (e., Cuba) became categorized as Second World countries (the Communist Bloc). This old divide left out many nations which were poorer that the First World and Second World countries, many of which were former colonies. French demographer, anthropologist, and historian Alfred Sauvy (1898-1990), in an article published in the French magazine L’Observateur on August 14, 1952, coined the term Third World (French: Tiers Monde), in reference to these countries. Eventually, these poor countries were widely dubbed as Third World countries. Because several countries in the Third World were impoverished, the term came to used to denote the poor world. However, this tripartite classification has been abandoned as it is now out of date, offensive, and confusing. The Soviet Union does not exist anymore. Today, there are rich countries, like Saudi Arabia, which is neither communist nor Western, and cannot be said to be part of the Third World either. New criteria have been thus employed to classify countries
A division based only loosely on geography (the line is approximately 30 degrees North latitude) and more on the degree of development-the Global North includes Australia & New Zealand Some distinguish the “Global East” These terms increasingly replace First World, Soviet bloc and Third World, which have lost favour since the fall of Communism Great diversity in size, form of government and level of economic development (e., Qatar), but generally former Global North colonies, typically part of a “zone of turmoil” While democracy has been spreading, the countries typically have more fragile institutions and greater risks of tyranny and instability
A global North-Global South comparison The Global North has:
- 20% of population & 30% land mass, 70% of wealth
- 15 times higher gross national income per capita
- 13 years higher life expectancy (80 to 67)
- 8 times less infant mortality (6 vs 50 per 1000)
- 68 computers per 100 people (5 in Global South)
- Seven times higher electric power consumption
- 87% paved roads (24% in Global South)
Why the discrepancy? - The classical liberal explanation-lack of education, managerial efficiency, technology and infrastructure - World dependency theory- a division of labor between the dominant core and a subordinate periphery, keeping the majority in the periphery in poverty while allowing great wealth to tiny elite, while imposing foreign cultural values
Global North and Global South in the 21st century
- During the Cold War, Global South countries could obtain resources merely by choosing sides, today the challenge is to retain the interest of global North countries
- Resources are important, but direct aid has increased, and coming US energy independence will cause a fundamental geopolitical shift
The problem of failed states - Lacking the competition of the Cold War, some Global South States no longer have resources to maintain order and provide basic services - Such failed states can serve as a base for terrorism and organized criminal activities - Such states tend to invest heavily in arms- they are also much susceptible to natural disasters (e.., cyclones)
Challenges and prospects for the Global South - The challenge- economic development and closing the gap with the Global North - Ways to close the gap a. Free trade agreements b. Assistance from Global North countries (foreign aid) c. Remittances from citizens abroad d. Direct foreign investment from private companies e. Microfinancing; technology
The Latin American Experience
“The Latin American Experience argues that democratic stability requires policies that limit the society’s degree of substantive economic and social inequality. A case in point is Latin America, long recognized as having one of the world’s most unequal distributions of income and wealth. Observing growth patterns over the long run reveal that while the region has been capable of sustaining impressive growth for periods of a generation or more, they are almost always interrupted by political crisis and instability driven ultimately by a fight for shares on the part of excluded social groups. The solution to this problem lies not just in continuing economic growth, but in sustainable social policies targeted at the poor. While populist leaders have been putting poorly designed policies in place, Latin America has also seen the emergence of well-designed anti- poverty programs like conditional cash transfers that have for the first time demonstrably lessened the degree of economic inequality.”
-Francis Fukuyama- Journal of Democracy, Poverty, Inequality And Democracy 10/
“During most of the 1980’s Latin America struggled with the heavy burden of the debt crisis, hyperinflation, recession and the transition from authoritarian to democratic governments. In fact, most analyst call the 80’s Latin America’s “lost decade. It is striking how a few numbers can capture the extent of the decay suffered by the region. While the gross domestic product of Asian countries grew by almost 7 percent a year (6 percent a year in per-capita terms) from 1986 to 1995, Latin America’s GDP advanced at a rate a little more than 2 percent, translating into virtually zero growth in per capita terms. In similar fashion, Argentina’s per-capita GDP dropped to just 29 percent of the per-capita average in O.E.C. countries, from 44 percent, between 1970 and 1995. The only Latin American country that systematically improved its competitive positioning during the Lost Decade was Chile. Chile is the country in the region that can be compared to an “Asian Tiger” in terms of its economic performance, and its
THE Global North and THE Global South
Course: Education
University: Bohol Island State University
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