When reading D. Wraight (2010), the economist made a striking thought: Africa’s development trajectory might have been profoundly different if zebras had been domesticated. At first glance, this might seem unusual, but it underscores the pivotal role that domesticated animals have played in shaping human societies and economies. 

In Europe, for instance, horses were instrumental to agricultural and economic development for centuries. Long before the wide use of machinery, these animals were not just beasts of burden but critical engines of productivity. They plowed fields, transported goods, and enabled societies to sustain larger, more self-sufficient communities. Horses transformed Europe’s fragile pre-industrial economies into more resilient and prosperous systems. 

Zebras, though superficially resembling horses, differ significantly in behaviour and temperament. Unlike horses, selectively bred over generations to be docile and cooperative, zebras remain fiercely independent and resistant to human control. This inability to domesticate zebras highlights a broader interplay between geography, environment, and biology in shaping human history—a theme famously explored by Jared Diamond in Guns, Germs, and Steel: The fates of human societies (1997). 

Beyond domestication, diseases have played a similar transformative role in societal and economic development. Malaria and yellow fever, for example, have long hindered progress across entire regions, truncating lives and limiting economic potential. The construction of the Panama Canal offers a great illustration of this dynamic. 

Initiated by the French in 1888, the canal project stalled after the deaths of approximately 20,000 workers (Breedlove, 2021), primarily from malaria and yellow fever. These diseases made the project financially and logistically impossible. When the U.S. resumed construction in 1904, they initially faced the same challenges. However, recognizing the critical role of disease control, they implemented comprehensive health initiatives: draining stagnant water, fumigating buildings, and introducing mosquito control programs (Breedlove, 2021). These measures dramatically reduced the prevalence of disease, saved countless lives, and enabled the canal’s completion in 1914—a milestone that revolutionized global trade and transportation in the continent. 

This example hightlights the importance of context in shaping outcomes. Context matters because it complicates plans, alters decisions, and impacts lives weather human or animal. It forces us to confront challenging questions, raises ethical dilemmas, and increases the complexity of development initiatives. Acknowledging context is often so demanding that it requires an ethical assessment about how—and whether—we should account for it. 

Wraight’s (2010) ethos emphasizes that development is never a neutral endeavour; it is inherently value-driven, shaped by the contexts in which it unfolds. Decisions about what to develop, why, when, and for whom carry significant ethical implications. Consider the Panama Canal: it claimed thousands of lives before the realization emerged that investing in health and prevention programs was essential. This realization raises critical questions about our priorities. Why, after decades of combating diseases like malaria and yellow fever, do they persist? Why have these illnesses, which disproportionately affect developing countries, not been eradicated despite modern technical and medical advancements? 

Such questions bring us to consider compassion as a cornerstone of ethical action. To remain unmoved by the immense scale of human suffering reflects a deficiency in a fundamental aspect of our humanity. Compassion is more than an emotional response; it is a moral imperative. 

Wraight (2010) observes: 

“Coming face to face with chronic deprivation is a sobering and upsetting experience. Wanting to do something about it is natural, and the challenge that suffering poses to our normal way of living and working is profound.” 

George Orwell, in Down and Out in Paris and London (1933), similarly captures the lived experience of poverty and hunger: 

“It is altogether curious, your first contact with poverty. You have thought so much about poverty… but when it happens you hardly feel it. It is merely squalid and boring. It is the peculiar lowness of poverty that you discover first… You discover the extreme vulnerability of the human body… What you cannot endure is the thought of endless suffering. It is a state of mind that no one who has not been hungry can understand.” 

History demonstrates that collective action can address pressing global challenges at once. The Marshall Plan, though motivated by enlightened self-interest, revitalized war-torn Europe, fostering economic stability and shared prosperity. Similarly, while the construction of the Panama Canal served strategic interests, its benefits extended far beyond its initiators. Both examples illustrate how pragmatic, cooperative decisions rooted in mutual benefit can leave enduring legacies. 

Today, the urgent need to combat extreme poverty, hunger, and disease requires a comparable spirit of collaboration. Allowing the most vulnerable populations to fall deeper into deprivation is not only a moral failing but a practical one. Regional instability, forced migration, and the proliferation of terrorism are consequences of it. These challenges are among the most common public concerns in Europe today (Kapa, 2024). 

Some economists, such as Jeffrey Sachs (2005), advocate for a bold and transformative approach akin to the Marshall Plan to eradicate poverty and combat the diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries. Sachs envisions a global effort that could save millions of lives and reshape the trajectory of humanity, creating an uncharted paradigm—a world free from poverty and preventable diseases. Such a vision presents not only the possibility of universal access to education but also the opportunity for children to grow into adults who uplift their families and communities, fostering cycles of development and prosperity. We should be part of that vision. 

Recently, during a UN webinar on living wages, a sentence stood out to me: “Do not let the scarcity of data and methods distance you from change.” This statement had a hard truth in it, serving as both a call to action and a critique of the increasingly risk-averse frameworks that dominate development efforts today. It underscored a troubling trend: how ethical imperatives, once central to the development agenda, are often relegated to the background as risk management and technical constraints take precedence. 

There is no doubt that evidence-based policies minimize inefficiencies and ensure that resources are directed where they are most needed. However, an overemphasis on perfect data or foolproof methods often paralyzes action, delaying responses were urgent needs demand immediate attention… have we lost our passion, have we lost compassion? 

Let us close with a reflection on the sentence we began with: 

We—Who is “we”? Humanity as a collective? Specific societies or individuals? Who bears the responsibility for shaping our trajectory? 

Should—This word carries the weight of potential and missed opportunities. If taming zebras could have altered history, does it imply that a solution was within reach but never pursued? 

Have—A word tied to the past, evoking the bittersweet realization that some opportunities are irrevocably lost.  

Tamed zebras—A deceptively simple statement, yet one loaded with implications about adaptability, agency, and the interplay between context and human progress. 

Sources: 

D. Wraight, C. (2010). The ethics of trade and aid: development, charity or waste. 

Hardin, G., & Diamond, J. (1997). Guns, Germs, and Steel: The fates of human societies. Population and Development Review, 23(4), 889. https://doi.org/10.2307/2137390 

Kapa. (2024, December 30). Insights into the European Sentiment Ahead of the 2024 EU Parliament Elections. Kapa Research. https://www.kaparesearch.com/2024/05/30/what-europeans-consider-ahead-of-the-2024-eu-parliament-elections/?utm_source 

Orwell, G. (2024). Down and out in Paris and London. A G Printing & Publishing. 

Sachs, J. (2005). The end of poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. Penguin Press HC.