About the Project

Since autumn 2010, IFF has been engaged with for the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) in Japan on a long term research project and inquiry into Globalisation and Disparity. It revolves around the question: ‘how might we place a better policy framework around globalisation such that it does not inevitably lead to increasing economic inequalities within and between nations and unacceptable levels of persistent abject poverty?’

The SPF project has drawn on economics and other expertise from a range of researchers in Japan, UK, US and India – including IFF Members Wolfgang Michalski and Rajiv Kumar. Four research meetings have taken place so far, in Tokyo, Kyoto and at IFF’s home in Aberdour. The work is beginning to highlight four propositions for shifting the frame, particularly around tackling global poverty:

• to see that poverty is at least in part a negative externality of the way we run the economy, just like climate change;
• to suggest a legally binding convention for poverty eradication, by analogy with the Kyoto Protocol;
• to work towards a ‘Pax Mosaica’ to replace the ‘Pax Americana’ now in decline;
• to improve the effectiveness of development aid in a 21st century geopolitical context.

Early findings from the project were shared in public for the first time at the Forum2000 Conference in Prague in October 2011. A short summary paper is available for download - and comment - below. The final report was launched at Forum2000 Conference in Prague in October 2012 - and is available for download below.  

Partners

Sasakawa Peace Foundation

Last updated: 3 Nov 2012

Status

Documents for download

Click on the documents below to download them to your hard disk.

Eradicating Extreme Poverty 2012 report

Report presented to Forum2000 Conference in Prague in October 2012 making the case for a commitment to eradicate extreme poverty as an element in the successor regime to the MDGs after 2015.

Date: 03 Nov 2012  Size: 559kB

SPF Forum 2000 Summary Working Paper

Paper prepared for Forum2000 conference in 2011 summarising work in progress.

Date: 09 Dec 2011  Size: 52kB