FLOURISHING IN PROGRESS

AND DEVELOPMENT
Objectives:
1. Discuss human flourishing in the context of progress in
science and technology.
2. Explain de-development as a progress and development
framework.
3. Differentiate between traditional framework of progress
and development and Hickel’s concept of de-development.
INTRODUCTION
• The more the
person can buy
stuff, the higher it
is in the
development scale.
• The larger
population is able
to consume, the
wealthier it is.
 INTRODUCTION
• A report from BBC in
2015 stated that the
gap in growth and
development between
the rich and the poor
countries keeps on
widening despite the
efforts through
development programs
designed to assist poor
countries to rise from
absent to slow
progress.
INTRODUCTION
• Research found that
70% people from
middle to high
income countries
believe that
overconsumption
puts the planet and
society at risk.
INTRODUCTION
• Hickel is an Anthropologist
from the London School of
Economics who criticizes the
failure of growth and
development efforts to
eradicate poverty over 70
years ago.
• He offers de-development, a
nonconformist perspective
toward growth and
development, as an
alternative to narrowing the
gap between the rich and “DE-DEVELOPMENT”
poor countries.
17 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Forget ‘developing’ poor countries, its time to
‘de-develop’ rich countries: by Jason Hickel
• The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was
formulated in Sept 15, 2015, and was signed January
1, 2016
• SDG is aimed at eradicating poverty by using growth
strategies by 2030
• Since1980, global economic has grown by 380% while
poverty increased by 1.1 billion
Forget ‘developing’ poor countries, its time to
‘de-develop’ rich countries: by Jason Hickel
• We’ve grown too much.
• Growth is no longer the
answer.
• The global crisis is due almost
entirely to overconsumption in
rich countries.
• At present, the planet Earth
has just enough resources for
each of us.
Forget ‘developing’ poor countries, its time to
‘de-develop’ rich countries: by Jason Hickel
• Global hectare is a COUNTRY CONSUMPTION/ person
common unit that
encompasses the Ghana 1.8 global hectares
average productivity
of all the biologically Guatemala 1.8 global hectares
productive land and Europe 4.7 global hectares
sea area (cropland,
forest and fishing Canada 8.0 global hectares
grounds) in the world
in a given year. U.S.A 8.0 global hectares
Forget ‘developing’ poor countries, its time to
‘de-develop’ rich countries: by Jason Hickel

•Peter Edwards – an economist

• rather than pushing poor countries to develop, we
should look at rich countries to ‘catch down’
• look at societies with people living happy and high
life expectancy but with low income and consumption
Forget ‘developing’ poor countries, its time to
‘de-develop’ rich countries: by Jason Hickel
•What do we need to have long and happy life?
• US = 79 years ($53,000 GDP per capita)
• CUBA = 79 years ($6,000 GDP per capita)
(Peru, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Tunisia
with similar claims)
•Quality of life
• Life expectancy and literacy –measures of quality of life
• Costa Rica = highest happiness indicator (1/4 0f per capita
income of US)
Forget ‘developing’ poor countries, its time to
‘de-develop’ rich countries: by Jason Hickel
• de-development
• difficulty in acceptance as it’s like asking people to stop
moving forward, improving and growing
• quality instead of quantity (truer form of progress)
• buen vivir (Latin Americans) = good life
• How Much is Enough? by Robert and Edward Skidelsky laid out
• Interventions
• Banning advertising
• Shorter worker week
• Basic income
Forget ‘developing’ poor countries, its time to
‘de-develop’ rich countries: by Jason Hickel
• Let’s not ignore the laws of nature. Slow down, or
climate change will do it for us
• Let’s rethink our theory of progress as ecological and
development imperative.
• Shift to a new concept of progress
• not imposing harsh limits but reaching higher level of
understanding and consciousness about what we are doing
here and why (flourishing)
17 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
17 Sustainable Development Goals
• a set of 17 goals for the world’s future through
2030
• backed up by a set of 169 detailed targets
• negotiated over a two-year period at the United
Nations
• agreed on by nearly all the world’s nations on Sept.

25, 2015
What is new and different about the 17 SDGs?

• Universality
• Integration

• Transformation
POVERTY
• occurs when a person or group of persons suffers from
a lack of essential resources for a minimum standard
of living and life
POVERTY

Material Resources Social Resources

 POVERTY

Absolute Poverty Relative Poverty

• measured by poverty line • condition of having fewer

• $1.95/day resources or less income
than others within a society
• varies in different countries or country or compared to
(developed and third world) the worldwide average
Causes of Poverty:
• Industrial revolution in the 19th century made rises in the
cost-of-living.
• Overpopulation that is due to lack of birth control methods.
• Corruption activities weaken the rule of law.
• Lack of work opportunities causing the talented people be
driven away leading to brain drain.
• Poor health and education affecting productivity in the
community.
• War and political instability.