Rise of the South and Demise of the North

"When the beat of the drum changes so must the step of the dance"
                African proverb supplied by Chiku Malunga

As the new Human Development Report came out yesterday I was wondering how my colleagues in sub-sahara Africa were digesting its content. A former direct colleage wrote the following reflection after reading the report:

Quite a breakthrough to be able to measure quality of life, human wellbeing, equality and equity escaping a narrow outlook on GDP!

What is shocking nevertheless is the position of the sub-Saharan Africa (Least developed countries) in the 2013 Human Development report? Despite an outstanding performance of few countries in the African continent such Seychelles (very high  performer) along with Libya, Mauritius, Algeria, and Tunisia (as high performers), sub-Saharan Africa lags behind disappointingly. One can take note of the strong performance of the North African nations despite the recent turbulence in the ‘Arab uprising’. What can be concluded from this?

HDI places special attention to certain fundamental values such as freedom, giving voice to people, and opportunities for public debates. These are vital ingredients for a liberated and vibrant society – and form a strong foundation for creativity and emancipation. It touches the core of governance and democratic leadership. How many of the sub-Saharan countries live by this book?  

Developmental states are praised for their commitment to register economic growth and prosperity. Some are even better qualified as “people-friendly developmental state” – what are
the distinct features? Reading the report, I remain with more questions and skepticisms…

What is it to be learnt as a success determinant? What can the least developed countries learn from better performers? Can we draw a success model to be replicated elsewhere (of course with cautions)? 

It is my wish that this report be discussed and critically analyzed in LDCs with active involvement of private sector and civil society organizations – to draw lessons and create public understanding!
 
                                                             A. Gedamu, Ethiopia

From a northern perspective I was pleasantly surprised to find such an eagerness to derive learning from high performers. It appears that the HDR contributes to peer-education amongst development nations. However, what puzzles me is the position of the North. There is very little reflection on what I would call the 'demise' of the Northern development paradigm. GDP even in Europe is no longer believed to bring well-being. Finland, a country with the best education system in the world, find themselves behind Hongkong and South-Korea in the Human Well-Being Index. High time to have UNDP set-up offices in European capitals and not just live of data supplied by western nations but also take into account some context here. It may alter the picture considerably.