Solutions to the Poverty Question - Essay Example

Introduction According to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, (UNHCR) "Poverty [is] a human condition characterized by the sustained or chronic deprivation of the resources, capabilities, choices, security and power necessary for the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights." (UNHCR, 2002) Poverty is so widespread that it is occurs on all over of the world. The World Bank (2008) defines extreme poverty as living on less than US$ 1 per day, and moderate poverty as on less than $2 a day. There has been an on-going debate as to the actual poverty numbers in the past with many experts claiming there as many as one billion people who fall and live below the poverty line. Most of these poor are in developing countries of the world. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest numbers of persons living below the poverty line. According to the World Bank, studies by Bhalla (2002) and Sala-i-Martin (2002) claim that the “number of people living in extreme poverty has fallen more sharply than as indicated by World Bank estimates”. The duo suggests that first World Bank’s Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the poverty rate by 2015 had in fact reached in 2000. In contrast other studies have stated that there has been no such decline as claimed by the World Bank. Reddy and Pogge (2002) and Wade (2002), in their assessment states that “the rate of decline in poverty is overstated by World Bank estimates.” These varying views are based on the various definitions or just understanding of what global poverty really is. The methods of measuring and assessing poverty data around the world also contributes to this differing school of thoughts. Poverty Statistics According to the World Bank (2008a) the world’s population living under extreme poverty dropped from 28 percent to 21 percent from 1990 to 2001 in developing countries around the world. The regions of East and South Asia witnessed most of the decline. In East Asia, the rate of poverty is said to have only dropped from 69 percent to 27 percent from 1990 to 2006. The same report suggests that the situation in Sub-Saharan Africa got worse as the number of people living under extreme poverty jumped from 231 million people in 1981 to 318 million in 2001, a 5 percent increase over 10 year period. Other regions of the world have not had dramatic changes in their poverty statistics. The economies of Eastern Europe and Central Asia which experienced a sharp drop in income in the early 1990’s have seen poverty rates begin to decline after a nearly 6 percent at the beginning of the decade. The number of people who out of extreme poverty in Eastern Europe is estimated at about 40 million during the period between 1998-2003. Causes of Poverty Why are there so many persons living in hardship and poverty? Many differing factors have been cited. Amongst them are man-made problems, but others are complex as they get. Some of the possible factors include but are not limited to the following: (a) Environmental Factors i. Natural factors: to a measurable extent climate change and has been identified as a cause of poverty. Natural disasters like hurricanes, tropical storms and floods can all cause poverty (Guardian, 2007). ii. Deforestation: this has been the leading cause of poverty in rural China. The practice which became prominent in the early 20th century is attributed to non-sustainable tree harvesting (Menzies “n.d”). iii. Geographic factors: these factors range from the availability of fertile land, fresh water, and the micro and macro soil minerals. Other factors include proximity to rivers, streams, mountains, or deserts. Historically, because of their location, the uses of new technology to areas like central Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa has been hampered. The climate of a region is also very relevant to the types of crops and animals that may be used on lands (Diamond, 1999). iv. Erosion: due to natural or human action can lead to exhaustion of the soil, therefore reducing its fertility and leading to poor yields. Poor yields will affect the economic and financial status of the farmer. v. Desertification and overgrazing: Lester Brown (2006) believes that almost half of the world’s agricultural land is degraded. It is a major factor that leads to poverty especially in Africa where if the situation persists, the ability of the people on the continent to feed its population will be seriously hampered. (b) Governance Many of the factors that increase and seem to perpetuate poverty are man-made. An important factor is the issue of Governance. The way a country or region decides to run its affairs is critical and often hampered by special interests. Issues of poor governance that lead to poverty include: i. Social development: because of a lack of democratic governments, many poor countries have not prioritized issues relating to social development. Education, infrastructural developments and healthcare issues are not viewed as priorities in these countries. Most of these governments prefer to invest in military and other areas. Also because of the autocratic rule of government, these countries don’t benefit from a lot of foreign assistance. Social indices used to wholly determine levels of well being like Infant mortality rates, agricultural yields are much lower in un-democratized countries than otherwise. Poor countries are known to have a higher level of debt and often run budget deficits (Halperin, et al., 2005) ii. Low Investment: The lack of the rule of law can lead to a low numbers of investments from outside of these poor countries. This will limit economic growth and increase poverty levels. iii. Lack of internal revenue: many of the countries listed as un-democratic or autocratic have a history of poor management of the revenues generated from their natural resources like crude oil and gold. Because of these problems, their governments cannot help its people to get out of poverty as there is a poor wealth distribution. iv. Education: the World Economic Forum (2008) reports that one of the main reasons for poverty is the rate of literacy in these countries. There is a lack of access to affordable education and individuals just do not have the tools to beat the cycle of poverty.[56] v. Corruption: billions of dollars meant for development have been stolen from many of these governments. This in addition to other issues reduces efforts to limit the spread of poverty. (c) Other Social Factors Many issues that impact the fight against poverty are as a result of the lifestyle and choices that persons around the world continually make. i. Population: the growth in population as the revenues reduce means many more people will get less of wealth distribution. A lack of access of majority of the populace to family planning methods leads to unchecked population growth. This will increase levels of poverty (Montgomery) ii. Crime: Issues of human trafficking in Eastern Europe also contributes to poverty. Drug trafficking, gang related activities subject persons affected to live in poverty across the world. iii. Wars and conflict: many of the world’s poorest people live in regions of the world torn by civil strife. From Sudan to Sri Lanka, many of the victims of war are forced to leave their homes and livelihoods and become refugees. Displaced refugees are some of the world’s poorest people. iv. The Matthew effect: this is a phenomenon that indicates that instead of the poor receiving targeted social benefits when they are offered, it is indeed the middle class who are benefitting from it. v. Cultural and political philosophies: some cultures and communities attribute poverty to common patterns of life. Communists, socialists and capitalism have all contributed to creating poverty in many region of the world. vi. Racism and Discrimination: all forms of discrimination and stereotyping have led to poverty because they are the leading cause of strife and unbalances communities. Age, gender, racial and religious discrimination have plays roles in perpetuating poverty (CBC 2007) Solutions to the Poverty Question In various recommendations, many organizations and countries have been urged to continue with encouraging reforms in deficient sectors of their economies, to boost rural growth in order to counter urban migration, promote opportunities in lagging regions, prioritize access to quality basic services, and protecting the most vulnerable, the women and children with specific programs. To improve the poverty problem basic wages must grow, as with employment, and more adequate social transfers to the needy. The Role of International Agencies There are many international agencies dedicated to reducing and assisting countries and people caught in the poverty trap. Most of these agencies both governmental and non-governmental are based out of Western Europe and the United States receives huge financial support from these governments and private citizens. Organizations like Oxfam along with other United Nations agencies work all over the world in an effort to improve the basics of live for poor people. Some of the interventions being carried out by these agencies are as follows: Oxfam Oxfam is an international organization that operates in about 100 countries around the world. The organizations’ main focus is reducing poverty and fighting social justice. Originally founded in England around 1942, Oxfam has designed strategies to combat poverty by addressing the issues of famine. Oxfam is also renowned for supporting poor manufacturers by helping them to get fair prices for their goods. An example is Oxfam’s involvement in helping coffee bean producers in Ethiopia. The organization also works in healthcare and conflict issues. The Clinton Global Initiative Former United States President Bill Clinton launched a Global initiative to provide support to the poorest regions in the world. The main focus of the foundation is directed at bringing many groups together in areas of poverty alleviation, health, education and climate change. Through the Clinton Hunger Initiative farmers in Rwanda, Malawi and other countries in the future are being helped to better farm their lands and reduce poverty. United Nations Organizations There are many UN based organizations that are directly assisting in curbing poverty around the world. Organs like the World Food Programme, Food and Agricultural Organization, United Nations Development Programme amongst others have been for decades fighting to reduce poverty globally. Although many will argue that their efforts are not very successful, it is obvious that the world’s poor would be worse off without these interventions from organs like these. Conclusion Despite the billions of people still living in poverty, the efforts to reduce the numbers of poor people should be increased or at least sustained. The duplication of programs by many Governmental and Non-governmental organizations has to improve. More should be done to ensure that the reliefs being offered reach the very poor. Also many of the poorest countries in the world have to initiate programs to reduce the burden on donor countries. Developing better social programs, reducing corruption and becoming more revenue responsible are some of the ways the leaders of the world’s poorest countries can improve on. References 1. Brown, L. 2006. The Earth Is Shrinking: Advancing Deserts and Rising Seas Squeezing Civilization. Earth Policy Institute. 15 November. [Internet]. Available at: http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2006/Update61.htm [Accessed 10 October 2008]. 2. CBC News. 2007. UN report slams India for caste discrimination. 2 March. [Internet]. Available at: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/03/02/india-dalits.html [Accessed 9 October 2008]. 3. Diamond J.M. 1999. Gums, Germs and Steel. W. W. Norton & Company. 4. Halperin, M., Siegle, J.T., Weinstein, M.M. 2005. The Democracy Advantage: How Democracies Promote Prosperity and Peace. 17 March. New York: Routeledge. 5. Menzies, N.K. “n.d.” Forest and Land Management in Imperial China. [Internet]. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty#cite_ref-37 [Accessed 12 October 2008]. 6. Montgomery, K. “n.d”. The Demographic Transition. [Internet]. Available at: http://www.uwmc.uwc.edu/geography/Demotrans/demtran.htm [Accessed 9 October 2008]. 7. The World Bank. 2008a. Understanding Poverty. PovertyNet. [Internet] Available at: http://go.worldbank.org/RQBDCTUXW0 [Accessed 12 October 2008]. 8. The World Bank. 2008b. The Global Poverty Debate. PovertyNet. [Internet] Available at http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTPOVERTY/EXTPA/0,,contentMDK:20242512~menuPK:435040~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:430367,00.html [Accessed 11 October 2008]. 9. UNHCR. 2002. Poverty. Human Rights in development. [Online] Available at: http://www.unhchr.ch/development/poverty-02.html [Accessed 11 October 2008]. 10. Vidal, J. 2007. Environment: Global Food Crisis Looms as Climate Change and Fuel Shortages Bites. Guardian UK online. [Internet] 3 November. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/nov/03/food.climatechange [Accessed 12 October 2008]. 11. World Economic Forum. 2008. The Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009. [Internet]. Available at: http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%20Competitiveness%20Report/index.htm [Accessed 12 October 2008]. Read More