The Global South

Origins and Classification

Global South refers to developing countries primarily found in the
Southern Hemisphere

A division based only loosely on geography and more on the degree of

development the Global North also includes Australia & New Zealand

First World, Second World and Third World terminology employed

during the Cold War

Now usually referred to as developed and developing countries or

as Global North and Global South countries
The Global South

Great diversity in size, form of government and level

of economic development (e.g., 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
Disparities between North and
South
Developed Global North Developing Global South
Population (millions): 1, 135
GNI per capita: $38, 471 Population (millions): 5,839.2
GDP Growth (2011-2012): GNI per capita: $6, 451
1.5% GDP Growth (2011-2012):
Health expenditure: 12.3% 6.3%
Undernourishment: 5% Health expenditure: 5.8%
Armed forces (thousands): Undernourishment: 14%
5,618 Armed forces (thousands):
22, 402
A Global North-
South comparison
20% of population & 30% land mass, 70% of wealth
6 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)
Explaining the Differences
between North and South
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 a tiny elite, while imposing
foreign cultural values
 The Impact of Colonialism
Rules for the international systems made by the
rich and powerful to protect their interests; those
rules essentially remain the same
Colonialism regarded by many as the root cause of
power and wealth disparities between North and
South
Colonialism took place in two waves: the first from
1500 to around 1800 and the second from around
the mid 1800s to 1914
Native populations destroyed and slavery
introduced in the first wave
Following the second wave, four fifths of the globe
was in European and American hands by 1914
Motivations for Imperialism
Industrialization and search for new markets
Heighted nationalist sentiments in Europe
Acquiring naval bases, raw markets and capital
investment opportunities
Exporting surplus population
Spreading Christianity
Prestige associated with empire building
Superiority of European civilization
The Road to Decolonization
Shifts in opinions about imperialism after WW1
Emergence of the principle of national self- determination
accepted at the Treaty of Versailles of 1919
Decolonization acquired momentum after World War Two
Victorious powers no longer had the resources to maintain their
empires
Decolonization process triggered by the British granting
independence to India and Pakistan in 1947
Decolonization was largely peaceful and took place very quickly
Decolonization progressed because the West now attached greater
priority to containing communism than to maintaining colonialism
Non-alignment
Emerged in 1955 at a conference of Asian and
African leaders in Indonesia
Main leaders behind the movement were Jawaharlal
Nehru (India), Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt),
Muhammad Soekarno (Indonesia) and Josef Tito
(Yugoslavia)
Revolved around five main principles:
Mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty;
Mutual non-aggression;
Non-interference in internal affairs
Equality and mutual benefit
Peaceful coexistence
 Most non-aligned countries were critical of the Western bloc

Impartial in theory but not in practice

Called for setting up a New International Economic Order (NIEO) based on

six principles:
Regulating transnational corporations
Transferring technology from north to south
Restructuring global trade so as to facilitate LDC development
Cancelling or renegotiating LDC debts
Increasing economic aid to LDCs
Giving LDCs more voting power within international economic institutions
Global South vs. Global North 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 decreased,

and coming US energy independence will cause a
fundamental geopolitical shift
State weakness and failure

In many decolonized states, institutions remained

weak, leading to chronic instability and at times
outright failure and collapse

Multiple indicators of state weakness: demographic

pressure; refugees; insurgencies; uneven
development; brain drain; economic decline; loss of
state legitimacy; failure to provide essential public
services; rule of law not upheld; rise of militias;
fractured elites; and external intervention
Examples of State Failure:
Zimbabwe
Twenty years ago the country was celebrated as an
African success story
It had one of the best health and education systems
in the region
In 1990, life expectancy was 61 years; today, it is one
of the lowest in the world
The backbone of Zimbabwe's economy - agriculture -
has been crippled by the combined effects of drought,
HIV/AIDS and controversial government land reforms
Zimbabwes president, Robert Mugabe, is the oldest
and one of the longest serving heads of state in the
world
Challenges and prospects for the
Global South
The challenge economic development and closing
the gap with the Global North

Ways to close the gap

Free trade agreements
Assistance from Global North countries (foreign aid)
Remittances from citizens abroad
Direct foreign investment from private companies
Microfinancing; technology
Emerging Powers from the South
The rise of the BRICS
All five are members of the G-20 (Argentina, Australia,
Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia,
Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom
and United Statesalong with the European Union)
China is at the heart of BRICS: Worlds largest exporter
and second largest economy; US in debt to China to
the tune of $1.24 trillion
Slowdown of the BRICS economies