Can globalisation Make Poverty History?

Student Simon Butler rids himself of cynicism and realises that globalisation could lead us down the path to fair trade.

‘Can Globalisation Make Poverty History?’ My first response was a definite “no”; but as I listened to the speakers I began to see that my initial reaction was perhaps a bit cynical.

Recently I attended a workshop at the University of Warwick that asked the question, ‘Can Globalisation Make Poverty History?’ My first response was a definite “no”; but as I listened to the speakers I began to see that my initial reaction was perhaps a bit cynical.

The first speaker was from the World Development Movement (WDM), an organisation that campaigns to tackle the root causes of poverty. Its director Benedict Southworth told the audience that, although progress had been made in 2005, there is still a long way to go.

I was pleased (and surprised) to hear that the WDM believes that globalisation is not an uncontrollable force. As citizens we can take control and, with a little bit of co-operation, we can harness the process to help the developing world.

This was just what the cynical part of me needed to hear. However, the speaker’s cautious optimism was balanced by a warning that governments and international institutions are still falling short of what is expected of them.

I heard how the World Trade Organisation is home to power politics, meaning that poorer nations cannot compete with the bargaining power of the strongest economies. The idea of free trade was also criticised. Sadly, the myth that the free market is inherently good only legitimises the freedom of corporations who are guilty of exploiting developing countries. This reminded me why I was so cynical.

Later in the evening I was interested to hear the ideas of Jan Aart Scholte, a Professor at the Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation. His view that governments can reduce the damage done by globalisation by redistributing income reminded me that there is more than one path that globalisation could follow.

The workshop was well worth attending. Not everything I heard was positive – far from it. But I did realise that, provided there are people who stand up to those who seek to gain from the poverty of others, the forces of globalisation may yet be used in the pursuit of progress.