Read more
Although the impact of rapid technological change is often discussed in relation to the Global North, this book explores its effects on the development of the Global South. By tracing the discourse and practice of international development in the twentieth century, Ruth E. Gordon offers necessary context to current changes in the global hierarchy. The book explores the situation of the Global South within the international legal, political, and economic order, how current development discourse and practice engages modernization efforts, and how technology can bring about significant economic and societal change for middle and low-income nations. It offers a balanced account of the positive and negative impacts of technological change on the Global South, from mobile phones allowing access to knowledge to robotics reducing employment opportunities. This book demonstrates that, for the Global South, technology is making more things both conceivable and achievable.
List of contents
Introduction; Part I. An Introduction to Development: 1. Development in theory and practice; 2. The East Asian developmental state; Part II. The Evolving Development Landscape: 3. The rise of the rest: middle income countries take center stage; 4. Development reimagined: new actors, new paradigms; 5. The new philanthropists; Part III. Development Disrupted: The Potential of Technology: 6. The global technological revolution; 7. Cures for what impairs us? Contemporary uses of technology in the global south; Part IV. Clouds on the Horizon: 8. Climate change, an environmental catastrophe; 9. The end of the industrial model of development.
About the author
Ruth Elizabeth Gordon is Professor of International Law at Villanova University, Charles Widger School of Law and has published more than twenty scholarly articles, book chapters, encyclopaedia entries and book reviews. Much of her writing has focused on the nations and peoples of the Global South and particularly their quest for economic development.
Summary
While the impact of rapid technological change is often discussed in relation to the Global North, this book explores its effects on the development of the Global South. It outlines an evolving global hierarchy and shows how technology is making more things both conceivable and achievable.
