Listen to the popes on neoliberalism and the Global South
Just as Pope Paul VI’s controversial encyclical of 1968 – “Humanae Vitae” – foretold the demographic collapse now besetting much of the world, so his landmark “Populorum Progressio: On the Development of Peoples” has proven prophetic since its publication in 1967.
It opens with this lapidary appeal to the consciences of men and women everywhere: “The hungry nations of the world cry out to the peoples blessed with abundance.”
Urging a profound rethinking of the meaning of progress and how best to approach international development, he called on all nations – not just the predominantly Catholic ones – to pool their ideas and resources to tackle the world’s most pressing socio-economic challenges.
Six decades later, this message is resonating not only in the West but, importantly, in the nations of the Global South.
The Pope reminds us that the exaltation of individualism – even if intended to further liberty and prosperity – can create socio-political disequilibria that undermine the wealth of nations and the common good.
He anticipates the negative consequences of unrestrained capital mobility, the “offshoring” of exploitative 19th-century labor practices – from horrific working conditions to low wages to child labor to zero-bargaining power – and the temptation to resort to authoritarian methods to preserve power and “keep the good times rolling.”
The strength of the document is its appeal to all political systems that place a high value on human progress and the alleviation of poverty. Western policymakers, including US foreign aid and development professionals, could well benefit from taking its lessons into account – including an understanding that morality is not ipso facto the handmaiden of prosperity.
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