Publications by: Guest content
Looking good and making a fast buck? Why rich countries help the poor
Article / 7th September 2016The arguments for rich nation's moral duty and responsibility to help the distant needy are well known, but short-term political and commercial advantages are dominating the practice of redistributing foreign aid. And the underlying problem is a lack of critical public engagement and concern, writes David Hulme in an extract from his new book, 'Should Rich Nations Help the Poor?'.
Want to see a new kind of economy?
Article / 1st September 2016What is common wealth? And how might we use it to build a more local, equitable and sustainable economy? Peter Barnes imagines an economy in which everyone benefits from a variety of co-inherited and co-created assets.
Dag Hammarskjöld and spirituality at the United Nations
Article / 31st August 2016The UN is a place of contrast between selfishness and sharing, and represents the major battle line for the future of humanity’s soul and collective wellbeing. It is the locus for the emergence of higher values concerning humanity as a whole, and the rebirth of the race as a Planetary Entity, writes Donald Key.
The new economy: A living earth system model
Article / 22nd August 2016In this thinkpiece for The Next System Project, David Korten sets out his 'natural case for sharing'. No-one has a right to own or control, for his or her exclusive private benefit, a share of assets essential to living far beyond any conceivable personal need, if this results in depriving others of a means to life, he argues. Redistribution to achieve a semblance of economic democracy is not only just, it is an imperative of a viable human future.
Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2016
Article / 18th August 2016If the Sustainable Development Goals are to become a reality, what has to be done, and what specific policy changes are necessary at the international level? The Reflection Group on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has produced the first annual Spotlight Report assessing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the structural obstacles in its realization, with contributions from many prominent civil society observers.
The Right to Development at 30: Looking Back and Forwards
Article / 18th August 2016To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Right to Development, the Human Rights Council held a Panel discussion at the Palais des Nations (Geneva) on 15 June 2016. As argued in a speech by the South Centre, this Declaration remains an important framework for the achievement of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and it has an enduring practical relevance for the key global issues of our time.
Meeting Africa’s universal health challenge
Article / 17th August 2016Two of the Elders, Graça Machel and Ricardo Lagos, call on the African continent's leaders to invest substantial political capital to make Universal Health Coverage a reality for their peoples. Countries like Malawi and Ethiopia prove that it is possible to provide free services to the entire population, if governments prioritise health in their budgets.
Why distinguish common goods from public goods?
Article / 15th August 2016It’s time for a rational conversation on the norms, rights and duties of every citizen for global common goods: the shared resources that must be negotiated and organized by the world’s people themselves, writes James B. Quilligan.
We need new stories for a prosperous descent
Article / 12th August 2016Our defining challenge is to seek out the ‘middle way’ between over-consumption and under-consumption, where basic material needs are sufficiently met but where attention is then redirected away from superfluous material pursuits, in search of non-materialistic sources of satisfaction and meaning, writes Samuel Alexander in a new book.
How to end hunger
Article / 11th August 2016The world already produces enough food to feed everyone. But the only way to eliminate hunger by 2030 is to implement well-designed social protection and scale up pro-poor investments - and the world can easily afford the needed investments, argue Hilal Elver and Jomo Kwame Sundaram.