GLOBALISATION AND POVERTY
AN ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

World Summit Paper #7; by Roldan Muradian and Joan Martinez-Alier; November 2001

“Making globalisation work for all” seems to be the consensus formula that strives to address the concerns of an increasing number of citizens across the world. To this end, the increased integration of developing countries into the global economy is put forward as the only way forward.

This World Summit Paper challenges this conventional wisdom and develops a different perspective: one that focuses on ecological economics. The authors argue that (1) the way in which a country integrates itself into the global economy represents a crucial decision, and (2) many developing countries are losing out both economically and eco-logically by specialising in the export of natural resources. In addition, the authors state that the costs and benefits of the export of natural resources are distributed highly une-qually within developing countries. The rural poor are affected most by the destruction of natural resources (including forests, soils, pastures, rivers, etc.) through activities such as mining, logging, etc., and by the appropriation of these resources for export production. Conversely, benefits are concentrated in the hands of a small number of companies, the state, and possibly the middle class.

If analysed in this way, the apparent contradiction between an ever-growing, ever-expanding global economy and increasing levels of poverty in the South vanishes.

We believe that this paper will contribute to the necessary debate, taking place during the run-up to the Johannesburg Summit, over which strategies (1) can contribute most effectively to the eradication of poverty on our planet and (2) are most conducive to steering globalisation in a more sustainable direction.

[ pdf; 36 pages ]