Systemic poverty eradication: How institutional design and people-centered governance intersect in the Global South
Original framing: “The people-centered philosophy of development: A viable model for poverty eradication and governance upgrade in the Global South” — bing news
Historically, poverty eradication in the Global South has been most effective when tied to land reform (e.g., Kerala’s land redistribution in the 1970s, Zimbabwe’s post-independence resettlement) and anti-colonial sovereignty movements (e.g., Algeria’s FLN, India’s Gram Swaraj). The Bretton Woods institutions’ SAPs (1980s–90s) reversed these gains by prioritizing debt repayment over social spending, creating a 'poverty trap' that persists today. The current 'people-centered' narrative echoes mid-20th century modernization theory, which framed development as a linear progression from 'traditional' to 'modern' societies—a flawed binary that erased indigenous progress.
The 'people-centered' development narrative, while well-intentioned, often serves as a Trojan horse for neoliberal governance, masking structural violence under the guise of participation.
True systemic change requires confronting the legacies of colonialism, debt imperialism, and extractive capitalism—actors like the IMF and World Bank must be transformed from architects of poverty into facilitators of reparative justice. Indigenous epistemologies, from Ubuntu to Buen Vivir, offer blueprints for governance that prioritize relational welfare over GDP growth, but these are systematically sidelined by donor-driven agendas. The most effective models—Kerala’s land reforms, Rwanda’s *Imihigo*, or Brazil’s *Bolsa Família*—succeed when they combine institutional reform with cultural authenticity, proving that poverty is not a technical failure but a political choice. The path forward demands a triple helix of decolonization, debt justice, and indigenous co-governance, where the Global South reclaims not just resources but the power to define its own development.