The Development Paradigm: Sustainable Human Development

We live in a vvorld vvhere nations break up under the tidal flow ofrefugees from environmental and social disasters. A vvorld where peopleseeking opportunities once offered by unexplored frontiers novv encounterfences. A vvorld in vvhich individuals, groups of individuals, communities andnations are becoming increasingly frustrated and intolerant of each other asresources become more scarce and dreams for a better future become moreelusive. We live in a vvorld vvhich adds almost 100 million people a year toits already overstressed ecosystem. A vvorld where people are moving tooverburdened cities and unvvelcoming countries in pursuit of opportunitiesthey cannot fınd at home. As Paul Kennedy has vvamed "vve are heading intothe tvventy-first century in a vvorld consisting for the most part of a relativelysmall number of rich, satiated, demographically stagnant societies and a largenumber of poverty stricken, resource depleted nations vvhose populations aredoubling every tvventy-five years or less".1 There are those vvho will arguethat the simple solution to eliminating these disparities lies in the increasingliberalization of the global economy. As more and more economies open upto a borderless vvorld, it is said that the prospects for humankind — at leastfor those able to adapt — are steadily improving. This is hopefully true, butthe kinds of solutions that a more competitive and borderless global economymay spavvn vvill need to keep ahead of the ever increasing problems vve arevvitnessing among the fast grovving, adolescent, resource poor,undercapitalized and undereducated populations of our vvorld

The Development Paradigm: Sustainable Human Development