The global south, degrowth and The Simpler Way movement: the need for structural solutions at the global level

ABSTRACT

In a recent edition of Globalizations, Hickel and Trainer discuss the degrowth and The Simpler Way movement in regard to the global South. This author contributes a different point of view to the discussion using the world-systems analysis and highlights that to have any successful movement able to address global challenges, the differences between the South and North in terms of economic and political systems must be considered. Many South countries have rentier oligarchic systems, which require Western researchers to be more cautious about what they propose in terms of transitions. Furthermore, an effective solution for global challenges must go beyond behavioural or national strategies and be structural at the global level. This author claims that complete economic and political independence of the South from the capitalist world-economy is the only solution that can address global environmental and inequality challenges and should be considered as a long-term vision by degrowth and the TSW movement.

KEYWORDS:

• Degrowth
• global South
• global North
• capitalist world-economy
• The Simpler Way

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr. Barry Gills, Dr. Jamie Morgan, and Dr. Jason Hickel for their comments that significantly improved the argument.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The researcher received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Notes on contributors

Sarah MacKay

Sarah MacKay is an independent social researcher in world-system analysis, global inequality, and Middle East studies.