The World Bank says it can fight poverty through technical solutions. But poverty is inherently political
The future of work and the future of poverty are closely bound up with each other. Global value chains, those webs of firms criss-crossing the world that collectively bring products to market, have driven economic growth since the 1980s. According to the World Bank, they have enabled many countries in the Global South to transition from low-income to middle-income status within the past few decades.
For example, 100% of South Asian countries were categorised as low-income in 1987. In 2023, it was just 13%. The rest had transitioned to a higher status. As of 2024, the World Bank defines middle-income countries as those with a gross national income per capita between $1,136 and $13,845.
Statistics like these have led to a strong belief within much of the development industry that global value chains offer companies and countries the prospect of “upgrading”. Once integrated into them, it becomes possible for firms to improve efficiency, move towards producing higher value-added products, and shift to higher positions in the global value chain hierarchy…..
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The New Associationist Movement
Kojin Karatani’s theorising on modes of exchange and the ring of Capital-Nation-State
Ntina Tzouvala, Capitalism as Civilisation: A History of International Law
Noam Chomsky: The End of Organized Humanity
Retotalising Capitalism: A Very Short Introduction to its History
After the truth-shower 