You know I worked for the World Bank for a number of years and one question that I raised, always raised at the World Bank, is "what is the best thing the North (the wealthy countries) can do for the South (the poor countries)?" A. They can grow and consume, evermore, to be a better market for the South to sell their resources and to accumulate more capital to invest in the South, that's one answer, that's the World Bank's answer. Answer B: The best thing the North can do consume less, level off, free up economic and ecological space for the South to grow into. To grow into, up to a level of sufficiency, not wealth but good sufficiency, or at least not luxury, but sufficient. So which is the answer? Well, the World Bank has clearly chosen the first and they don't even want to do a research project on the second. They don't even want to talk about it. So here's an institution which could be a kind of broker in the North/South relationship but has really failed to even consider the question.
08.05.2007,
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Herman E. Daly is an ecological economist and professor at the Maryland School of Public Affairs. Prior to his work at the Maryland School of Public Affairs, he worked at the World Bank, where he was Senior Economist in the Environment Department, helping to develop policy guidelines related to sustainable development. While there, he was engaged in environmental operations work in Latin America. He is co-founder and associate editor of the journal, Ecological Economics. His interest in economic development, population, resources, and environment has resulted in over a hundred articles as well as numerous books. His awards include the Grawemeyer Award for ideas for improving World Order, of the Honorary Right Livelihood Award, the Heineken Prize for Environmental Science from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Sophie Prize awarded by Norway.
