MC

Notes on Wilde, Upstream Causes, Happiness, and Structural Reform in Global Poverty Discussions

Agenda and structure of the session

  • Focus on three main areas: 1) Oscar Wilde on charity and aid/upstream causes, 2) Hickel’s reflections on happiness, and 3) the proposed solutions to global poverty and inequality. The instructor invites student feedback on feasibility, persuasiveness, and potential disagreements. A closing five minutes will feature a short poem shared by a visiting Irish poet (Martin Dyer) and related discussion.
  • The discussion frames charity as a behavior that addresses symptoms rather than root causes, and asks what a “happy life” would look like for the individual rather than for the world.
  • Page references appear throughout: Wilde appears around page 241; Hickel’s upstream causes discussion spans pages ~239–258; happiness discussion later in the book around page ~270–273; a closing poem reading is planned for page 239–241 context in the session.

Upstream causes, charity, and the parable of the drowning (Hickel, chapter discussion)

  • Upstream causes vs. downstream aid
    • The classic public health parable: someone by a river drowning; you rescue as a strong swimmer, but more people keep drowning.
    • The lesson: prevention and upstream interventions are more effective than constantly rescuing symptoms.
    • Hickel emphasizes that care should be collective or structural, not merely individual responsibility.
  • Prevention is better than cure
    • To be effective at prevention, focus on upstream causes.
    • This requires training to think in terms of systems and feedback loops, not just symptoms of poverty.
  • Examples and explanations used to illustrate upstream thinking
    • The Swaziland clinic anecdote: a wise elder suggests you may be working at the wrong end of the line, highlighting the need to target root causes rather than just treating the line of patients.
    • Common misdirections: blaming individuals for misfortune (e.g., homelessness) without considering structural drivers.
    • Structural drivers listed (summary of Hickel’s examples):
    • Reckless housing-market speculation by banks; financial crises that erode pensions and livelihoods; unfair labor practices; offshoring by employers; global poverty and inequality.
  • Five concrete solutions (from pages ~244–246, 249–250, 257–258)
    • Debt resistance
    • Alternative banking paths or debt default options; acknowledges risks including potential violence, but framed as a possible tool to rebalance power.
    • Alternative banking and development finance
    • Development banks like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as new pathways beyond traditional (often biased) lending structures.
    • Global democracy and transparency in international financial institutions
    • Make institutions like the World Bank and IMF more transparent; give citizens a voice through democratic representation rather than corporate shareholding.
    • Fair trade over free trade
    • Fair trade agreements that protect developing countries; aim for a tariff and rule structure that benefits the Global South rather than liberalizing all markets indiscriminately.
    • Practical idea: all WTO members provide free market access of all goods to all developing countries to help them participate in global markets without having to overhaul their own trade rules first.
    • Loosening patent laws and addressing agricultural subsidies
    • Loosen patents that block technology transfer; reform agricultural subsidies to reduce unequal effects on the Global South.
    • Global wage and social protections
    • A global minimum wage concept to set baseline labor standards.
    • Reclaiming the commons and reducing leakage
    • Strengthen mechanisms to prevent tax evasion and land grabbing; address wealth extraction that worsens climate change and inequality.
  • Integrated impact claim
    • Hickel argues that targeting deep structural causes (global democracy, debt resistance, fair trade, just wages, reclaiming the commons, tax fairness) could produce a monumental impact without requiring foreign aid.
    • The political challenge: these reforms would require courage to confront powerful interests that benefit from the status quo.
  • Critical reactions and discussions in class (feasibility, timing, and politics)
    • Participants discuss: is wealth redistribution feasible in today’s political climate? Would reforms be possible given the power of vested interests?
    • Some students point to historical context (published around 2017) as a period of optimism for reform, contrasted with later shifts toward greater inequality.
    • Debates about what would be necessary to catalyze change: a major event or crisis, realignments of power, or a redistribution that alters incentives for major powers.
  • Counterpoints and alternative analyses
    • Some students worry that reforms may threaten national interests or be blocked by powerful actors.
    • A consideration: real-world geopolitics may resist redistribution; skepticism about the likelihood of fair implementation across all nations.
    • The discussion touches on whether reform is compatible with capitalism or whether a more radical overhaul would be required; some participants emphasize reform as a pragmatic path, while others worry about gradual progress.

Oscar Wilde on charity and poverty; Hickel’s framing of Wilde (primary quotes and interpretation)

  • Wilde’s central claim (page 241–243 range):
    • People confronted with visible poverty respond with charity to ameliorate symptoms, not to solve the underlying disease.
    • The remedy of charity can be part of the disease, not a cure: “the proper aim is to reconstruct society on such a basis that poverty will be impossible.”
    • The altruistic impulse can paradoxically prevent the system from being changed because it alleviates immediate suffering without challenging the structural causes.
    • The claim that “charity degrades and demoralizes” is tied to the idea that it can displace political action and reduce the incentive to reform systemic inequalities.
  • The harms of charity described
    • Charitable acts may prolong poverty by keeping the poor alive but not changing the conditions that produce poverty.
    • Charity can distract people from addressing the structural forces degrading communities.
    • Wealth enabling charity often comes from the very processes that cause poverty; charitable programs may gloss over exploitation.
    • Notable example critiques cited: Starbucks and Ethiopian coffee communities; Coca-Cola and Guatemalan plantation labor; both alleged to involve practices that underpay workers or suppress labor rights.
  • Fairness vs. charity
    • A key assertion: fairness would be a more sustainable and ethical base than charity; without fairness, charity risks appearing as a band-aid or a scam.
    • Hickel’s reading highlights the paradox of charitable giving by powerful corporations while those same entities benefit from exploitative practices.
  • In-class responses to Wilde’s critique
    • Students agree that charity can be used as a veneer or “image” for corporations engaging in extraction (e.g., Coca-Cola, Starbucks).
    • Some argue that charity can still be a necessary interim measure but must be paired with structural change; others push back, saying charity’s persistence makes real reform harder by maintaining the status quo.
  • Summary takeaway from Wilde’s critique (as interpreted in the session)
    • Charity without fairness risks perpetuating the system that creates poverty.
    • The more constructive route is to pursue systemic reforms that make poverty impossible rather than merely alleviating its symptoms.

Happiness, well-being, and the critique of growth as a sole measure (Hickel’s happiness discussion)

  • Happiness as a function of income and equality
    • Hickel cites happiness research (World Happiness Report, etc.) showing happiness rises with income only up to a point, then levels off or declines as inequality grows and social guarantees erode.
    • Example contrasts and data points:
    • Europe operates with ~40\% less GDP per capita than the US but achieves higher human development indicators and notably lower per-capita emissions (roughly ~60\% fewer emissions per capita).
      • rac{ ext{GDP per capita}{Europe}}{ ext{GDP per capita}{US}} \,=\, 0.6
      • rac{ ext{Emissions per capita}{Europe}}{ ext{Emissions per capita}{US}} \,=\, 0.4
    • Costa Rica: life expectancy around 79 with GDP per capita about 10{,}000, illustrating similar well-being at much lower income compared to the US (53{,}000 GDP per capita).
      • ext{Life expectancy}{US} = 79; ext{GDP per capita}{US} = 53{,}000; ext{GDP per capita}_{Costa Rica} = 10{,}000
    • The Brazil vs. Britain example: Brazil achieves similar or better happiness/well-being indicators with roughly a quarter of Britain’s income in some measures.
  • The shape of the happiness curve
    • The argument: happiness increases with income up to a threshold, then flattens or even declines as inequality and stress increase; beyond a certain income level, more money yields diminishing returns for well-being.
    • A cited element: the peak happiness point in history appears well below current high-income levels in the US; the peak might occur around an income of roughly 15{,}000 GDP per capita (in historical observations) before happiness plateaus.
  • What contributes to happiness beyond income
    • Equality, strong social guarantees, trusted institutions, meaningful relationships, and social safety nets are highlighted as more strongly associated with happiness than sheer income at high levels.
  • Happiness beyond work: “farniente” and the non-work sources of happiness
    • The instructor introduces Farniente (Dolce Farniente): the sweet idleness of doing nothing, a notion from Italian culture about enjoying time without explicit work or achievement goals.
    • Possible non-work sources of happiness discussed:
    • Time for leisure, relationships (family and friends), education, nature, creativity, and self-care.
    • A base economic stability can enable happiness to flourish when work is not the sole source of meaning.
  • The practical question for students
    • If happiness depends on equality and social guarantees, what would happiness look like for each person beyond work and earning power?
    • How can individuals and societies re-balance priorities to promote well-being without endorsing endless growth for its own sake?
  • Dyer and the poetical/philosophical angle
    • Martin Dyer, visiting poet, is invoked to connect literature, healing, and a mindful relationship to the environment and daily life.
    • Dyer’s teaching and poetry emphasize attention to the senses, healing through perception, and a humane approach to living and creativity.

The practical ring-fence: what Hickel suggests would change the world (the proposed interventions, feasibility, and courage)

  • The core target: deep structural causes rather than stopgap aid
    • Deep, structural reforms include debt resistance, new development financing models, more democratic and transparent global institutions, fair trade frameworks, and stronger global social protections.
  • The expected payoff
    • If implemented, these interventions could substantially reduce global poverty and inequality without needing foreign aid.
    • The required political courage is notable: to challenge powerful actors who benefit from the current system.
  • The realism vs. idealism debate in class
    • The discussion addresses the tension between ideal policy reforms and the political realities in the global North and South.
    • Some students argue that the reforms are plausible on paper but unlikely in practice given current power dynamics and incentives.
    • Others emphasize non-monetary levers (values, norms, public opinion) as potential catalysts for reform.

Discussion threads: climate, migration, and the end of capitalism vs. reform

  • Event-driven climate catastrophe as a catalyst for change
    • A hypothetical scenario: a climate-related disaster forcing mass migration to the Global North could expose systemic inequalities and press for policy changes.
    • Debates about how a country would respond: stronger border controls vs. humanitarian obligations.
    • The discussion explores whether such an event would push public opinion toward accepting structural reforms or simply heighten isolationist/stall tactics.
  • The politics of redistribution and power
    • The conversation touches on whether it would be feasible to redistribute wealth or power when global dynamics favor tightening control by the wealthier nations.
    • Some participants suggest that a collapse or major realignment (e.g., a major ally’s crisis) could force reconsideration of global economic structures.
  • Why it’s hard to imagine “the end of capitalism” vs. “the end of the world”
    • It’s easier to imagine sudden external catastrophes (asteroids, etc.) than systemic political-economic collapse because of visible, dramatic events and entrenched habits.
    • The contrast between visible, fast events and slow, persistent structural change is highlighted as a cognitive barrier to imagining reform.

Wilde’s passage (page 241) – a closer read for exam-ready points

  • Quote and theme: Charity as a symptom-reducer, not a cure; the disease is the social structure that produces poverty.
  • Hickel’s interpretation: Wilde’s critique aligns with the argument that relief efforts must aim at reconstructing society so poverty becomes impossible.
  • Major implications discussed in class:
    • Charity can inadvertently preserve the status quo by addressing symptoms rather than root causes.
    • The appearance of benevolence can mask exploitation if wealth creation is tied to the conditions that generate poverty.
    • The call for fairness over charity remains central: fairness transforms conditions so that ongoing aid is unnecessary.
  • The instructor plans to share a poem from Martin Dyer (the five-minute reading) to close, connecting literary reflection with the themes of healing, perception, and a humane approach to life and happiness.
  • The poem excerpt read aloud in this context is intended to illuminate the idea that creative perception, patience, and mindful attention are part of a life well-lived beyond constant economic striving.

Practical exam takeaway questions

  • What is the difference between upstream (structural) causes and downstream (charity) efforts? Why might upstream changes be more effective in eliminating poverty?
  • List Hickel’s proposed interventions and explain how each targets root causes rather than symptoms. Why would these not require foreign aid, according to his argument?
  • How does Wilde critique charity? What are the dangers of charity as a social mechanism, and what alternative does Wilde advocate?
  • How does happiness relate to income, inequality, and social guarantees in Hickel’s discussion? What explains why happiness might plateau or decline at high income levels?
  • What forms of non-monetary happiness or fulfillment does the session discuss (e.g., Farniente, relationships, time, nature), and how might these ideas influence a student’s own definition of a “good life”?
  • How might climate change and migration function as catalysts for reforms in global economic institutions? What political obstacles stand in the way, and what kinds of events could alter those incentives?
  • In what ways do different theoretical accounts (Hickel vs. Clover) offer competing narratives about reform vs. collapse? How can students critically compare these frames?

Quick reference to key numbers and formulas

  • ext{GDP per capita}_{US} = 53{,}000
  • ext{Life expectancy}_{US} = 79
  • ext{GDP per capita}_{Costa Rica} = 10{,}000
  • Europe vs US: rac{ ext{GDP per capita}{Europe}}{ ext{GDP per capita}{US}} = 0.6
  • Emissions per capita (Europe vs US): rac{ ext{Emissions per capita}{Europe}}{ ext{Emissions per capita}{US}} = 0.4
  • Brazil vs Britain income example: rac{GDP{Brazil}}{GDP{Britain}} \approx \frac{1}{4}
  • The threshold of happiness growth related to income is suggested around 15{,}000 GDP per capita (historical observation), after which happiness gains slow or plateau.
  • Global wages and social protections are framed as a governance issue, not simply a market outcome; the discussion weighs equality and social guarantees as critical correlates of happiness rather than higher GDP alone.