Issue 2, 2023

The Global South Amidst a Changing World System

Contents

▍Overseas

Can the United States Still Play the Card of “Internet Freedom”？Shen Weiwei

In April 2022, the Biden Administration released the Declaration for the Future of the Internet (DFI) along with 60 signatory countries committing to uphold an open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, and secure Internet. The DFI calls back the spirit of the idea of “Internet Freedom”, which is the core of the United States' national Internet strategy from 1996 to 2016. Building on the history of the development of “Internet Freedom”, this article analyzes this controversial idea and the impacts of the DFI on global Internet governance.

What the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is Intended to Do Li Chengyu

▍Cover Story: The Global South in a Changing World System

Conundrums of “Surplus” and Scale: The Development Dilemma of the Third World Xu Zhun

The concept and analysis of the “Third World” was one of the most important and enduring contributions from the 20th-century revolutions. The mainstream views tend to naturalize the stark disparity between the rich and poor countries, thus downplaying the significance of the Third World perspective. This essay provides a critique of the mainstream explanations of the Third World underdevelopment. In particular, I highlight the importance of the political economy of development, including class politics and surplus utilization based on Paul Baran’s pioneering work, and the economy of scale in modern industries. I argue that the collaboration between China and the rest of the Third World will be essential for establishing an alternative world order that facilitates real improvements for the entire world.

Neoliberalism and the Premature Deindustrialization of the Global South Qin Beichen  Hu Shulei

Since the 1980s, many countries in the Global South have witnessed a stagnation of manufacturing development, leading to concerns about “growth without industrialization”. Such stagnation to a large extent stems from the neoliberal turn in the international production system, domestic political policymaking, and economics. The negative impact of the phenomenon includes growth stagnation and fragility, hidden unemployment, and income inequality, as well as populism and political instability. Contrary to some criticisms from the West, industrial cooperation and theoretical innovations from China have brought new hope for reversing the decline of manufacturing in the Global South.

Could the Global South Become China’s New Strategic Depth？ Li Xiaoyun  Xu Jin

To Lead the Weight to the Far, for the Benefit of the People — 12 Years of Practice of South-South Forum and Global University Liu Jianzhi

Revitalizing Socialist Development Theory — The Historical Destiny and Future Choices of the Global South Vijay Prashad

▍Historical View

What Kind of Reformer Zhang Juzheng Was Zhu Yongjia

▍21st Century Socialism

Developmental Socialism: Chinese Modernization and the Direction of World Socialism Yao Zhongqiu

▍World View

Unreached Consensuses: The Political Origins of Japan’s Long-lasting Economic Pets  Song Lei

All sectors of Japanese society have reached the consensus that it is the change of technical regime that brings about long-lasting economic pets, and the two fundamental measures to reduce the negative impact of the technical change are clear. However, it is confusing that the Japanese government did not choose either of the two measures in the past three decades. Actually, political consensuses among classes, firms, and sectors are indispensable for the Japanese government to systematically implement any fundamental anti-crisis measures. Because such political consensuses had never been reached, the Japanese government failed to move into action.

Fragile Regional Ties—Oil Rents and the Evolution of the Arab Political and Economic Order Li Haipeng

Since the 1970s, the flows of oil rents from oil-rich Arab countries to oil-poor ones through various channels have underpinned the fragile balance of power and US hegemony in the Arab world for nearly four decades. Ironically, the expansion of Gulf capital has contributed to the collapse of the regional order it has helped build. The “Arab Spring” greatly politicized and securitized the economic ties among regional countries, leading to the stagnation, and even regression, of the process of regional economic integration. In parallel with the reshuffling of regional political order, the emerging new Arab economic order will reflect both the logic of geopolitics and capital flows.

▍County Research

Why County Development Falls into “Real Estateization” Qiu Ye

Centering on Public Service Supply: Functional Transformation of Agricultural Counties in Central and Western China An Yongjun

▍Academic Review

Global Changes Call for New Theories—From Zhu Yunhan’s Theoretical Contributions Qu Wanwen

▍Focus

Superstar Firms and Global Inequality Zheng Yu

In the last several decades, rapid globalization and digital technological advances have allowed the rise of superstar firms. These superstar firms have captured a disproportionate share of global wealth. The concentration of wealth has been further exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article reviews some developed countries’ historical experiences and contemporary policies to rein in superstar firms through various channels including antitrust, wealth tax, as well as charity and philanthropy. It argues that no easy solution has been found to manage the impact of globalization and technology on inequality.

The Duality of Capital and Chinese Socialist Modernization Zhou Jianming

The Path Choice of Digital Transformation of Traditional Industry—A Practical Exploration of a State-owned Enterprise in Guizhou as an Example

Yang Chun  Wu Chichen  Yang Ke