THE

CONTEMPORARY
WORLD
Global Divides: The North and
the South
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 Learning
Outcomes
• Provide operational definition of “Global
1 South” using different analytical lenses

• Compare and contrast the “Global South”

and “Global North” in terms of socio-
2 economic and political
structures/attributes
• Analyze how a new conception of
global relations emerged in a tabular
3 presentation.
 Motivation

This map presents the literal division of the world- The Northern and the Southern
Hemispheres
Can you identify the differences between countries in the Global
North and Global South?
Global North Global South
1. Home to all members 1. Largely corresponds
of G8 and to four of the with the Third World.
five permanent members
of UN Security Council
2. United States, Canada, 2. Africa Latin America
Western Europe

3. Developed parts of Asia, 3. Developing Asia,

Australia and New including Middle East
Zealand

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The Group of Eight, or G8, was the name of a political forum that ran from 1997
until 2014. Devoted to addressing global issues such as world hunger, security,
medicine, and poverty, its membership included the following nations:
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Canada
• Russia
• The European Union ("non-enumerated" member)

Reference: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/g8-countries
The forum that grew into the G8 was founded in the
early 1970s. Though it inititally included only four
member countries (the US, UK, West Germany, and
France), it quickly added Japan, Italy, and Canada and
became the Group of Seven (G7) in 1976. Russia
accepted an invitation to join in 1997, forming the G8.

However, when Russia annexed the Ukranian region of

Crimea in 2014, its membership in the G8 was
suspended. The remaining members reverted back to
the G7 name, and Russia officially withdrew from the
group in 2017.
These seven nations have about 58% of the world’s
total wealth at about $317 trillion. Over 46% of the
world’s nominal GDP is represented in these nations.

The forum was founded in order to facilitate

macroeconomic initiatives following the collapse of
the exchange rate in 1971. The group meets every
year to talk about economic policies and has taken on
many initiatives throughout the years, including an
initiative for the world’s heavily indebted poor
countries in 1996 and a meeting to discuss the global
financial crisis of the 2000s.
The Brandt line, a definition from the 1980s dividing the
world into the wealthy north and the poor south.

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Northern Hemisphere
✗ Rich, Industrialized Wealthy Nations
✗ Democratic Capitalist Countries

Southern Hemisphere
✗ Poor, Agricultural Developing Nations
✗ Non-Democratic Countries

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Concepts of Sociological Relations
✗ Major Premise
✗ 95% of the North has enough food and shelter. Similarly,
95% of the North has a functioning educational system.
In the South, on the other hand, only 5% of the
population has enough food and shelter.

✗ Prevalent
✗ Lacks of appropriate technology, no political stability,
the economies are disarticulated, and the foreign
exchange earnings depend on primary product exports.

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Concepts of Economic Relations
✗ Major Premise
✗ The North—with one quarter of the world
population—controls four-fifths of the income earned
anywhere in the world. 90% of the manufacturing
industries are owned by and located in the North.
Inversely, the South—with three quarters of the world
populations—has access to one-fifth of the world
income.
✗ Prevalent
✗ The countries with capital will unfortunately become
investors of countries incapable of developing industry.
the regulation of policies and laws is the way to attract
investors.
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Concepts of Natural Resources Relations
✗ Major Premise
✗ The South's lack of development and the high level of
development of the North deepen the inequality between
them and leave the South a source of raw material for
the developed countries. The north becomes
synonymous with economic development and
industrialization while the South represents the
previously colonized countries which are in need of help
in the form of international aid agendas.

✗ Prevalent
✗ An aftermath effects of Age of Imperialism of the
western world.
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Concepts of Global Relations
✗ Major Premise
The underdevelopment of certain states/peoples and their lack of
representations in global political process is a reality

✗ Prevalent
Imbalances of Aggregate economics and political power between
states Interstate dimensions

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Implications
✗ The sameness represents the cultural
homogenization that many critics have
associated with globalization. (Same as
the rich influenced the poor).
✗ The spaces of affluence in the developing
world may mirror the Global North
✗ The spaces of underdevelopment in
developed countries may mirror the
poverty of the Global South.
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Implications
✗ The global economic integration is not
inevitable given the rise of new
technologies; it is, more importantly, a
normative international goal. (Globalism:
Steger)
✗ The Dominant ideology of colonialism and
the topic that shaped the birth of
international order.
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Implications
✗ Outlined the historical progression terms
of a society’s capacity to produce and
consume material goods. (Modernization
Theory, Rostow).

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 References
• Workbook in The Contemporary World
1
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?
2 v=2WQrY4xMfks (video posted in canvas)

• Canvas
3