Marie Michael Library

The rise and development of the Global Debt Movement: a North-South dialogue

Reyes Tagle, Yovana; Sehm Patomaki, Katarina

Throughout the world, civil society organizations have been working on the debt issue. Civil society in the South argues for the cancellation of debts, appealing to human rights, moral justice and the historic debt of the North toward the South. Even though civil society movements have denounced the debt burden on developing countries, measures have not been taken to solve the debt problem. Despite the goal of eliminating debt in the South, debt campaigners do not agree on how this goal should be attained. This reason contributes to the North-South divide. This paper highlights potential research areas including practical consequences of debt cancellation, the mechanisms that maintain the debt problem, and how these can be addressed.