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Barbara Mary Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, (23 May 1914 – 31 May 1981) was a British economist and writer interested in the problems of developing countries. She urged Western governments to share their prosperity with the rest of the world and in the 1960s turned her attention to environmental questions as well. She was an early advocate of sustainable development before this term became familiar and was well known as a journalist, lecturer and broadcaster. Ward was adviser to policy-makers in the UK, United States and elsewhere. She is the founder of the
International Institute for Environment and Development International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...
(IIED).


Education and early career

Barbara Ward was born in Heworth, York, on 23 May 1914. Her family soon moved to
Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northea ...
. Her father was a solicitor with Quaker tendencies, while her mother was a devout
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. She attended a convent school before studying in Paris, first at a lycée, then for some months at the
Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...
before going on to Germany. Though she had once planned to study modern languages, her interest in public affairs led to a degree course in politics, philosophy, and economics at
Somerville College Somerville College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. Among its alumnae have been Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Dorothy Hodgkin, ...
,
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
, from which she graduated in 1935.The Papers of Barbara Ward
, repository.library.georgetown.edu; accessed 21 March 2014.
She did post-graduate work on Austrian politics and economics. After witnessing
antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...
there and in
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
she began to help Jewish refugees, and mobilise
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
support for any forthcoming UK war effort, although she had initially been "sympathetic to
Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
". With Christopher Dawson, the historian, as leader and Ward as secretary, the Sword of the Spirit was established as an organisation to bring together Catholics and Anglicans opposing Nazism. It became a Roman Catholic group whose policies were promoted by the '' Dublin Review'', which Dawson edited, and for which Ward wrote regularly.''The Sword of the Spirit''
University of Manitoba; accessed 21 March 2014.
During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, she worked for the Ministry of Information and travelled in Europe and the US. Partly on the strength of her 1938 book, ''The International Share-out'', Geoffrey Crowther, editor of ''
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...
'', offered her a job. She left the magazine in 1950 having risen to foreign editor, but continued to contribute articles throughout her life. As well as writings on economic and foreign policy, her broadcasts on Christian values in wartime were published as ''The Defence of the West'' by Sword of the Spirit. During this time she was also president of the Catholic Women's League and a popular panel member of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
programme ''
The Brains Trust ''The Brains Trust'' was an informational BBC radio and later television programme popular in the United Kingdom during the 1940s and 1950s, on which a panel of experts tried to answer questions sent in by the audience. History The series was ...
'' which answered listeners' questions. In 1946 she became a governor of the BBC and of the
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theatre. After the war, Ward was a supporter of the
Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...
, of a strong Europe, and of a
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.


International influence, and marriage

In 1950, Barbara Ward married Australian Commander Robert Jackson, an administrator for the United Nations. Their son Robert was born in 1956, the same year that his father was knighted. Ward continued to use her own name professionally and was not widely known as Lady Jackson. Over the next few years they lived in West Africa and made various visits to India, and these experiences helped form Ward's views on the need for Western nations to contribute to the economic development of poorer countries. For the next two decades both husband and wife travelled a great deal, and eventually their marriage suffered from this. A legal separation was arranged in the early 1970s though Ward, as a Catholic, did not want divorce. In 1976 when she was given a
life peerage In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages A ...
she used her estranged husband's surname for her title as Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth. Ward had been a frequent public speaker since leaving university, and by the 1960s her lectures attracted international respect; several lecture series, including some presented in Canada, Ghana and India, were published in book form. Ward spent increasing amounts of time in the US, much of her work there funded by the Carnegie Foundation. Ward published ''The Rich Nations and the Poor Nations'' which became a bestseller in 1962. In 1957
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
gave her an honorary LittD and until 1968 she was a Carnegie fellow there, living for part of each year in
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
, Massachusetts. She was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
in 1966. She got to know Adlai Stevenson and John F Kennedy and acted as adviser to various influential policy makers, including
Robert McNamara Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American business executive and the eighth United States Secretary of Defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He remains the ...
at the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
and Lyndon B Johnson, who welcomed her thoughts on his
Great Society The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States launched by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964–65. The term was first coined during a 1964 commencement address by President Lyndon B. Johnson at the Universit ...
projects despite her opposition to the
Vietnam war The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
. She influenced
James Wolfensohn Sir James David Wolfensohn (1 December 193325 November 2020) was an Australian-American lawyer, investment banker, and economist who served as the ninth president of the World Bank Group (1995–2005). During his tenure at the World Bank, he is ...
's thinking on development questions. She had influence in the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
, helped set up a
pontifical A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy ...
commission for justice and peace, and in 1971 was the first woman ever to address a synod of Roman Catholic bishops. One of her proposals was that richer countries should commit a certain proportion of their
GNP The gross national income (GNI), previously known as gross national product (GNP), is the total domestic and foreign output claimed by residents of a country, consisting of gross domestic product (GDP), plus factor incomes earned by foreign ...
in aid to the developing world, and she also spoke of the need for institutions to enable and manage both 'aid and trade'. This was a practical as well as an ethical concern: Ward believed such policies would encourage stability and peace. She is sometimes called a "
distributist Distributism is an economic theory asserting that the world's productive assets should be widely owned rather than concentrated. Developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, distributism was based upon Catholic social teaching princ ...
".Joseph Pearce, "The Education of E F Schumacher", ''Literary Converts''
(Ignatius Press 1999)


Environmental concerns

Ward started to see a close connection between wealth distribution and conservation of planetary resources. "… the careful husbandry of the Earth is ''
sine qua non ''Sine qua non'' (, ) or ''condicio sine qua non'' (plural: ''condiciones sine quibus non'') is an indispensable and essential action, condition, or ingredient. It was originally a Latin legal term for " conditionwithout which it could not be" ...
'' for the survival of the human species, and for the creation of decent ways of life for all the people of the world." She used the phrases "inner limits and "outer limits" to refer to the inner limits of the human right to an adequate standard of living and the outer limits of what the Earth can sustain. In 1966, she published ''Spaceship Earth'' and is sometimes said to have coined the phrase. Ward is seen by some as a pioneer of sustainable development. She and
René Dubos René Jules Dubos (February 20, 1901 – February 20, 1982) was a French-American microbiologist, experimental pathologist, environmentalist, humanist, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction for his book ''So Human An Animal ...
, co-authors of ''Only One Earth'' (), have been described as "parents" of a concept which "did not know its own name at first". ''Only One Earth: The Care and Maintenance of a Small Planet'' was written for the 1972 UN Stockholm conference on the Human Environment. The report was commissioned by
Maurice Strong Maurice Frederick Strong, (April 29, 1929 – November 27, 2015) was a Canadian oil and mineral businessman and a diplomat who served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.E Masood (2015) Maurice Strong, Nature 528(7583), 480. Strong ...
, secretary general of the
United Nations Conference on the Human Environment The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm, Sweden, from June 5–16 in 1972. When the United Nations General Assembly decided to convene the 1972 Stockholm Conference, taking up the offer of the Government of S ...
. Ward's work was rooted in her sense of morality and Christian values. She saw care of the environment and concern for the well-being of all humankind as a "dual responsibility", especially for anyone sharing her religious outlook. At the same time, she believed wealth distribution combined with conservation was essentially a rational policy: "We are a ship's company on a small ship. Rational behaviour is the condition of survival." In 1971 she founded the
International Institute for Environment and Development International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...
(IIED), acting as president from 1973 and chairman from 1980.


Later life

Ward had recovered from cancer in the late 1940s thanks, she believed, to the spiritual support of
Padre Pio Francesco Forgione, OFM Cap., better known as Padre Pio and as Saint Pius of Pietrelcina ( it, Pio da Pietrelcina; 25 May 188723 September 1968), was an Italian Franciscan Capuchin friar, priest, stigmatist, and mystic. He is venerated as a ...
. The illness recurred twenty years later but surgery did not cure her. In 1973 she retired from
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
where she had been Schweitzer Professor of Economic Development for the previous five years and went to live in Lodsworth, Sussex. The next year she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and on 18 October
1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...
a life peer as Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, of Lodsworth in the County of West Sussex; she and her husband both held noble titles in their own right. She wrote her last book, ''Progress for a Small Planet'', despite her deteriorating health, discussing the "planetary community", dwindling resources used up too fast by wealthy countries, and the needs of poorer parts of the world. It was published in 1979, two years before her death on 31 May 1981, aged 67.


Legacy

In 1980, she received the
Jawaharlal Nehru Award The Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding is an international award presented by the Government of India in honour of Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first prime minister. History It was established in 1965 and is administere ...
.
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
sent a Cardinal to represent him at Ward's requiem service. At her own request, she was buried in the graveyard of the local Anglican parish church. Her brother, John Ward, was a noted civil engineer who, after his work on the M4 motorway in the 1960s, was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Her great-niece,
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, is now a music presenter on radio.


Affiliations

*1972: Stockholm Conference on Human Environment (Earth Summit I) *1974: Cocoyoc Declaration,
UNEP The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...
/
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...
(UNCTAD) Symposium on Patterns of Resource Use, Environment and Development strategies *1976:
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Habitat Conference on Human Settlements


Barbara Ward Lectures

The
International Institute for Environment and Development International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...
organises the 'Barbara Ward Lectures' in memory of Ward, who was the Institute's first director. * 2007
Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson ( ga, Máire Mhic Róibín; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who was the 7th president of Ireland, serving from December 1990 to September 1997, the first woman to hold this office. Prior to her electi ...
, Former President of Ireland * 2008
Lindiwe Sisulu Lindiwe Nonceba Sisulu (born 10 May 1954) is a South African politician, member of parliament since 1994, and member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress currently serving as Minister of Tourism since August 20 ...
, Minister of Housing of the Republic of South Africa * 2010
Connie Hedegaard Connie Hedegaard Koksbang (born 15 September 1960) is a Danish politician and public intellectual. She was European Commissioner for Climate Action in the ( second Barroso) European Commission from 10 February 2010 through 31 October 2014. On ...
, European Commissioner for Climate Action * 2012 Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established an international environmental treaty to combat "dangerous human interference with the climate system", in part by stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in th ...
* 2014 Fatima Denton, Co-ordinator for the African Climate Policy Centre of the
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA or ECA; french: link=no, Commission économique pour l'Afrique, CEA) was established in 1958 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to encourage economic cooperation among its ...
* 2016 Debra Roberts, leader of the Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department of eThekwini Municipality, Durban, South Africa and Co-Chair of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change *2018
Gro Harlem Brundtland Gro Brundtland (; born Gro Harlem, 20 April 1939) is a Norwegian politician ( Arbeiderpartiet), who served three terms as the 29th prime minister of Norway (1981, 1986–89, and 1990–96) and as the director-general of the World Health Organizat ...
, the first woman Prime Minister of Norway and former Director-General of the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
2018 Barbara Ward Lecture: Gro Harlem Brundtland calls for people to speak out against simplistic politics of populism
IIED, 15 June 2018.


Selected works

*The International Share-out (1938) *Turkey (1941) *Defence of the West (1942) *The West at Bay (1948) *Policy for the West (1951) *Faith and Freedom (1954) *Britain's interest in Atlantic union (1954) *Interplay of East and West (1957) *Five Ideas that Changed the World (1959)
India and the West
(1961), published in the journal ''International Affairs'', volume 37 issue 4 *The Rich Nations and the Poor Nations (1961) *The Plan under Pressure (1963) *Nationalism and Ideology (1966) – lecture series –
Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...
*Spaceship Earth (1966), . See also, ''Survival of Spaceship Earth'' in 1972; Ward co-wrote and appeared in this documentary fil
Survival of Spaceship Earth (1972) - IMDb
*The Lopsided World (1968) – lecture series –
Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
*Only One Earth (1972) – with
René Dubos René Jules Dubos (February 20, 1901 – February 20, 1982) was a French-American microbiologist, experimental pathologist, environmentalist, humanist, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction for his book ''So Human An Animal ...
*A new creation? Reflections on the environmental issue (1973) *The Home of Man (1976) *Progress for a Small Planet (1979)


References


Sources

* *
KimMarie McColdrick & Sonia Banerji, "Barbara Ward" in ''American Economic Association newsletter''; October 1995
*


External links

*
Finding aid to Barbara Ward papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.


Further reading

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson of Lodsworth, Barbara Ward, Baroness 1914 births 1981 deaths British environmentalists British women environmentalists Deaths from cancer Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences British women economists Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford Roman Catholic writers People from Felixstowe Place of death missing University of Paris alumni 20th-century British economists 20th-century British journalists People from York People from Lodsworth Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Wives of knights