Max Tallberg
In my previous text, I mainly addressed the challenges related to the everyday lives of people in the Global South. In this text, I will focus more on solutions and reflect on how improving the situation in the Global South could also affect the rest of the world. Short blog posts, of course, cannot cover all the issues or solutions related to the daily lives of people in the Global South, but some key points can be highlighted. It is essential to emphasize once again that the best solutions come from the people of the Global South themselves, and therefore, we should listen to them and understand the specific characteristics of their daily lives.
Awareness of Challenges Does Not Always Lead to Behavioral Change
The aspects of daily life in the Global South could, in any case, be relatively easy to improve. For example, it has been observed that farmers who were given free fertilizer were 10% more likely on average to use fertilizer in the following growing season. However, most eventually reverted to not using fertilizer. This was not because they were unimpressed by what they had seen. Clearly, most were convinced and initially said they would definitely use fertilizer in the future. When asked why they didn’t, most reported that they couldn’t afford it when they needed it. Fertilizer could, however, be bought and used in small quantities, making it seem like a possible investment. The challenge is that farmers struggle to hold onto even small amounts of money: saving is often difficult because unexpected expenses, like sickness, always come up. One solution would be to buy fertilizer and seeds right after the harvest. However, as one person from the Global South noted, “When we have money, they don’t have fertilizer. When they have fertilizer, we don’t have money.”
It’s also important to note that just because we are aware of our problems doesn’t mean we solve them. It may only mean that we are better at predicting failures. However, just a little more hope, encouragement, and security could serve as strong incentives to solve these problems. If the finish line were moved closer to the ultimate goal, it would be easier to progress toward it. Currently, the journey feels too long for many. The first support, such as education, could kickstart a positive spiral of development where the poor could influence their own lives.
Positive Spirals with Relatively Small Investments
When considering how to improve the daily lives of people in the Global South, it is clear that relatively small investments could yield significant progress. For example, if farmers always had the opportunity to use fertilizer optimally, or if entrepreneurs had access to loans, this would lead to massive progress over time. The same applies to the creation of safety nets, which would provide individuals with security, well-being, and the ability to plan for the future more confidently. As a result, the well-being of individuals in the Global South would increase tremendously, for instance, through reduced stress, and this well-being would radiate throughout society in countless ways. When people’s basic needs are met, and they are empowered to genuinely plan their future and strive for better, it would surely lead to significant societal development.
As we strive for a fair and just world, it is also evident that individuals must have the right to plan the number of children they wish to have. Therefore, it is essential to ensure access to contraception for everyone. At the same time, we cannot only focus on improving individuals’ lives; societal changes must also be made, such as eradicating corruption and creating functional institutions, good governance, and a positive political climate. Similarly, international economic actors must operate in ways that support the Global South.
It is clear that if this kind of multifaceted positive development could be initiated across several factors, the progress would be rapid, and much less external assistance would be needed in the future. In the spirit of utilitarianism, one could argue that this would also increase the collective well-being of humanity the most. Many of these solutions are also obvious, such as improving agriculture through the use of fertilizers or allowing families to plan the number of children they have. Another key solution would be debt relief for countries in the Global South. This kind of positive development only needs to be initiated, and these countries and people given a genuine opportunity to develop. The resources required for this are not so vast that they couldn’t be found, and in any case, the benefits brought about by this development would far outweigh the cost.
In such a world, global economic opportunities would be much better utilized, even for the Global North, as increased demand in the Global South would open new markets for businesses in developed countries. Such a world would also be more likely to experience genuine peace and harmony. If every individual were guaranteed a real opportunity to influence the course of their own life, this would radiate throughout the entire global community, making it a much better place.
The threat posed by climate change also demands new global decisions and cooperation. If climate change is allowed to progress, smaller, local solutions related to the Global South may not have enough impact. For example, if rural areas lack clean water or the sea level rises dramatically, then even the effective use of fertilizers would not matter, as large parts of the world would become uninhabitable. We need new decisions, such as the implementation of a global carbon tax or debt relief for the countries of the Global South. Current and future technological innovations should also be harnessed more effectively to improve the collective well-being of humanity and prevent the disastrous consequences of uncontrolled climate change and biodiversity loss.
At the same time, all of this gives us a reason to discuss the structures of today’s world and consider alternatives. For example, are neoliberalism, capitalism, and the market economy, along with their associated inequality and environmental degradation, the only way to develop the world, or are there alternatives? The legacy of colonialism also remains strong and raises questions about how it should be considered when reflecting on the current and future structures of the world. One of our organization’s tasks is to provide a platform for discussions on how to improve the state of the world. All of the questions mentioned above are a key part of this discussion. We also believe that humanity, together and under the right conditions, can find sustainable and effective solutions to these questions. We have the opportunity to build a world where genuine justice and equality prevail everywhere.
Global Citizens Can Learn from Each Other
In this and the previous text, I mainly described the daily lives of people in the Global South through the lens of challenges. However, it’s important to highlight that these countries also experience happiness and joy. Perhaps human nature is such that certain fundamental experiences repeat themselves regardless of the environment. This makes it easier to understand that joy and happiness are experienced in the Global South as well—often even more so than in the Global North, despite the fact that not all basic needs may be met. Social cohesion and a sense of community are often much stronger in the Global South than in the North. People help each other, and loneliness is not felt in the same way as it is in the Global North. Perhaps the problem in the North is that people have become distanced from the essence of what makes life good. It’s not about satisfying every impulse, which creates irrelevant needs, but about moving forward in life through one’s own efforts and having meaningful relationships and values at the center of life.
The Global North has much to learn from the Global South in this regard. We have achieved a high standard of living for a large part of our population, but at the same time, many experience deep loneliness, distress, and a lack of meaning. The best possible life for humans would surely combine the best aspects of both the Global South and the Global North: a communal life where everyone can still be individuals, where everyone’s basic needs are met, and where people can build meaningful and unique lives.
Sources:
(Global Visions, 2024) “23 Voices from Kenya: Discussing the Important Work of Home Street Home”. Visions of a Better World. May 2024.
Banerjee, A. Vinayak. & Esther Duflo (2011). Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty. New York: Public Affairs.
Chandra, Ritu. (2022). Challenges and Vision in Educating the Global South.
World Bank. “Digital Transformation Drives Development in AFE, AFW, Africa.” January 2024.
GIGA. “Digital Skills in the Global South: Gaps, Needs, and Progress”.
