Chapter 4: Global Divides: The North and South

Introduction:

We WERE ALL HUMANS until race disconnect us, religion

separated us, politics divide us, and wealth classified us.
- Anonymous

While the world is broadly demarcated geographically and demarcated

through continental divisions, it is imperative to note that there exist
other delineations on developmental patterns, wealth distribution and
emerging economic situations. This is the primordial consideration when
one seeks to better understand the concepts underlying the Global North
and South divide.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this topic, learners should be able to:

1. Articulate the definitions as well as differences of the Global North and

Global South;
2. Undermine the rationale behind such division/classification;
3. Understand the current configurations and manifestations of the
Divide;
4. Recognize how this division affects the path of Globalization and the
current world in general; and
5. Equip students with 21st century learning and develop higher order
thinking skills that will lead towards a deeper understanding of Global
economic structures as well as articulate a stance of the Global North-
South Divide and how it impacts the Philippines, the Filipino society
and the individual self.

Discussion:

North- South divide can be related to an economic division between richer

and poorer countries.

This explains the reason why it is considered to be more of a socio

political and economic classification.

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The Global North
- It is generally viewed to be more affluent and economically stable
countries and generally includes the United States of America,
Canada, the member nations of the G8(Group of 8), the four
permanent members of the UN Security Council.

- This includes countries that lie below the equator namely Australia
and New Zealand.

- We could find in the North the More Economically Developed Countries

(MEDCs) in the world. Some countries which lay in the North part of the
divide are Canada, United States, Greenland, and Russia. They are
considered the “richer” and more stable countries.

File

Photo: G8 member states

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Why are the countries in the North considered MEDC?

The countries are considered MEDC because of:

o Economic Stability
o Better standard of living and quality of life
o High life expectancy
o Free quality education
o Free universal healthcare

The Global South

- It includes most nations located in Africa, Latin America, and the
developing parts of Asia with the exception of Japan.
- The area below the North-South Divide is known as the
South/developing, or “Poor side.” These countries are known as
developing countries, meaning the GDP, HDI and general standard of
living within these countries are considered inferior to that of
countries in the “North”. Some examples of these countries include
Somalia, Vietnam, Haiti and India.

Why are countries in the South considered LEDCs?

The countries in the south may be considered LEDCs because of:

o Unstable government
o Poor economy
o Contain citizen who have a poor standard of living and quality of life
o Low Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
o Low Human Development Index (HDI)

Why is the South at such a disadvantage?

Of the many possible reasons for the south’s woes, the one factor that
stands out is colonization. When the countries that are considered MEDC
are listed down, it becomes apparent that the most of these countries
were, at some point in history, imperialists. From the 13th century, most
countries that were powerful have stayed powerful, such as France and
the United Kingdom. And therefore, most countries that were inferior
have stayed inferior. However, like any aspect in history, there is always
an exception, as the United States, a former British colony, has
developed into the most powerful country in the world. (Guttal, 2016).

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 It can be argued that the division goes beyond merely geographical
since not all states found north of the equator belong to the Global
North and in the same manner, not all states that lie south of the
equator form part of the Global South
One attempt to produce an objective classification uses the UNDP’s
Human Development Index to differentiate.
In brief, the Global North consists of those 64 countries which have a
high HDI (mot of which are located north of the 30th northern parallel),
while the remaining 133 countries belong to the Global South

First, Second and Third Worlds

 First World
- Drawn upon political ideologies and alliances with the US and much
of the Western world who preached for Democracy and Capitalism.

 Second World
- The Communist bloc led by USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist
Republic)/ Russia, China and other states who employed Marxist
principles.

 Third World
- Non-aligned states, the underdeveloped nations and states that have
unstable political and economic conditions.
- Serves as “ready and willing markets”
- Coined by a French scholar Alfred Sauvy.

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Flashpoints and Perspectives of the Divide

As underdeveloped countries become more visible, they are frequently

referred to under the collective label the “Global South”.

This designation offers as a synthesizing term and consider it

ambiguous because it uses simple geographical criteria to describe a
complex social situation which distinguishes poor countries from the
wealthiest.

Global South
- is normally used to mean countries that are faced with social, political
and economic challenges.

- it should be added also that the term rids itself of the negative
political and economic labeling that Third World had before as it is
generally seen to be more apolitical.

Three factors by Jean Grugel (1990) that direct the economic development of
states within the Global South are:
– elite behavior within and between nation states
– integration and cooperation within geographic areas
– resulting position of states and regions within the global world market
and related political economic hierarchy

BRICS
- acronym for an association of five major
emerging national economies
- originally the first four were grouped as
“BRIC”
- known for their significant influence on
regional affairs and all are members of
G20.

In effect, Global North-South is actually seen by many economist as a

result of international free trade and unhindered capital flows across
countries which could definitely catapult development in the South.

Closing the divide has been a goal for many developmental initiatives.

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 United Nations has developed a program dedicated to narrowing the
divide through its Millennium Development Goals aimed at
Sustainable development.

IMF, World Bank and other progressive Northern countries also

provides loans and grants to the Global South countries in order to
attain development.

Just a Quick Recap!

 The Global North-South divide is a categorization of nation states

based on factors like economic development, political stability as well
as living standards.
 This division was fashioned out of the Cold war era categorization of
countries into the First, Second and Third World.
 The Global North-South divide is not simply based on geographical
orientation for there are Asian countries that belong to the Global
North.
 The term South was branded out of the Brandt report in 1983.
 The perspective as well as countries that fall under such
categorization is in a state of flux and is constantly changing.

References:

 Connell, Raewyn. 2007.“Dependency, Autonomy and Culture. In

SouthernTheory: The Global Dynamics of Knowledge in Social Science.
Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, pp. 139-163.

 Coronacion, D.C., et.al. (2018). Convergence: A College Textbook in

Contemporary World. Chapter 4: The Global Divides: The North and
South pp. 75-84. Books Atpb. Publishing Corp.

 Lobo, J.L. (2019). The Contemporary World. Chapter 8: Global: Divide

the North and South pp 103-114. Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.

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Name: Date:
Course: Score:

Activity 1.
Instruction: Make an essay

1. Why are countries in the North considered More Economically

Developed Countries (MEDC)

2. Why are countries in the South considered Less Economically

Developed Countries (LEDC)?

3. What is the main purpose/function of the Human Development Index

(HDI)?

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