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Paper short abstract

Well-being evidence shows that the Global South is no longer uniform. A power South is increasingly oriented toward capability and dignity, while a poor South remains constrained by survival- and aid-driven development models, raising questions about whose development counts.

Paper long abstract

The emergence of a “New South” in global development has coincided with growing divergence within the Global South itself, particularly between a power South and a poor South. While development debates continue to emphasise income growth, aid flows, and aggregate economic indicators, this paper argues that such approaches obscure important inequalities in lived experiences of development. Drawing on selected indicators from the World Values Survey, the paper compares subjective well-being and capability-related measures such as life satisfaction, perceived agency, and institutional trust across illustrative power South and poor South countries. The analysis suggests that power South states increasingly exhibit development trajectories oriented toward capability expansion and well-being, even at comparable income levels, reflecting greater policy autonomy and state capacity. In contrast, the poor South remains largely constrained by survival-oriented and donor-driven development frameworks that prioritise basic needs over broader human welfare. Interpreted through a behavioral political economy lens, the paper highlights how expectations, social norms, and trust shape development outcomes beyond material indicators. By foregrounding well-being as an analytical lens, the paper reveals a growing but underexplored axis of inequality within the Global South and raises critical questions about whose development priorities are recognised and legitimised in an era of declining Northern dominance, shrinking aid budgets and shifting global power relations.