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Aroundtheworld,inrichorpoornations,povertyhasalwaysbeenpresent.Its USatACrossroads

factthathighlevelsofinequalitywillaffectsocialcohesionandleadto StrategicParadigmShiftin

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Almosthalftheworldover3billionpeopleliveonlessthan$2.50aday.
TheGDP(GrossDomesticProduct)ofthe41HeavilyIndebtedPoorCountries(567millionpeople)islessthanthewealthof
theworlds7richestpeoplecombined.
Nearlyabillionpeopleenteredthe21stcenturyunabletoreadabookorwritetheirnames.
Lessthanonepercentofwhattheworldspenteveryyearonweaponswasneededtoputeverychildintoschoolbythe
year2000andyetitdidnthappen.
1billionchildrenliveinpoverty(1in2childrenintheworld).640millionlivewithoutadequateshelter,400millionhaveno
accesstosafewater,270millionhavenoaccesstohealthservices.10.6milliondiedin2003beforetheyreachedtheageof5
(orroughly29,000childrenperday).
Povertyisthestateforthemajorityoftheworldspeopleandnations.Whyisthis?Isitenoughtoblamepoorpeoplefortheir
ownpredicament?Havetheybeenlazy,madepoordecisions,andbeensolelyresponsiblefortheirplight?Whatabouttheir
governments?Havetheypursuedpoliciesthatactuallyharmsuccessfuldevelopment?Suchcausesofpovertyandinequality
arenodoubtreal.Butdeeperandmoreglobalcausesofpovertyareoftenlessdiscussed.
Behindtheincreasinginterconnectednesspromisedbyglobalizationareglobaldecisions,policies,andpractices.Theseare
typicallyinfluenced,driven,orformulatedbytherichandpowerful.Thesecanbeleadersofrichcountriesorotherglobalactors
suchasmultinationalcorporations,institutions,andinfluentialpeople.Inthefaceofsuchenormousexternalinfluence,the
governmentsofpoornationsandtheirpeopleareoftenpowerless.Asaresult,intheglobalcontext,afewgetwealthywhile
themajoritystruggle.
PovertyFacts
Mostofhumanitylivesonjustafewdollarsaday.Whetheryouliveinthewealthiestnationsintheworldorthepoorest,you
willseehighlevelsofinequality.

Thepoorestpeoplewillalsohavelessaccesstohealth,educationandother
services.Problemsofhunger,malnutritionanddiseaseafflictthepoorestinsociety.
Thepoorestarealsotypicallymarginalizedfromsocietyandhavelittle
representationorvoiceinpublicandpoliticaldebates,makingitevenharderto
escapepoverty.

Bycontrast,thewealthieryouare,themorelikelyyouaretobenefitfromeconomicorpoliticalpolicies.Theamounttheworld
spendsonmilitary,financialbailoutsandotherareasthatbenefitthewealthy,comparedtotheamountspenttoaddressthe
dailycrisisofpovertyandrelatedproblemsareoftenstaggering.

StructuralAdjustmentaMajorCauseofPoverty
5/25/2016 jworldtimes.com/Article/42010_Causes_of_Poverty
Cutbacksinhealth,educationandothervitalsocialservicesaroundtheworldhaveresultedfromstructuraladjustmentpolicies
prescribedbytheInternationalMonetaryFund(IMF)andtheWorldBankasconditionsforloansandrepayment.Inaddition,
developingnationgovernmentsarerequiredtoopentheireconomiestocompetewitheachotherandwithmorepowerfuland
establishedindustrializednations.Toattractinvestment,poorcountriesenteraspirallingracetothebottomtoseewhocan
providelowerstandards,reducedwagesandcheaperresources.Thishasincreasedpovertyandinequalityformostpeople.It
alsoformsabackbonetowhatwetodaycallglobalization.Asaresult,itmaintainsthehistoricunequalrulesoftrade.

PovertyaroundtheWorld
Inmostnationstoday,inequalitythegapbetweentherichandthepoorisquitehighandoftenwidening.Thecausesare
numerous,includingalackofindividualresponsibility,badgovernmentpolicy,exploitationbypeopleandbusinesseswithpower
andinfluence,orsomecombinationoftheseandotherfactors.
Itsfactthathighlevelsofinequalitywillaffectsocialcohesionandleadtoproblemssuchasincreasingcrimeandviolence.
Inequalityisoftenameasureofrelativepoverty.Absolutepoverty,however,isalsoaconcern.WorldBankfiguresforworld
povertyrevealsahighernumberofpeopleliveinpovertythanpreviouslythought.
Forexample,thenewpovertylineisdefinedaslivingontheequivalentof$1.25aday.Withthatmeasurebasedonlatestdata
available,1.4billionpeopleliveonorbelowthatline.
Furthermore,almosthalftheworldoverthreebillionpeopleliveonlessthan$2.50adayandatleast80%ofhumanitylives
onlessthan$10aday:
Today,over25,000childrendiedaroundtheworld
Thatisequivalentto:
1childdyingevery3.5seconds
1718childrendyingeveryminute
A2004AsianTsunamioccurringalmostevery1.5weeks
AnIraqscaledeathtollevery1638days
Over9millionchildrendyingeveryyear
Some70millionchildrendyingbetween2000and2007
Thesilentkillersarepoverty,easilypreventablediseasesandillnesses,andotherrelatedcauses.Inspiteofthescaleofthis
daily/ongoingcatastrophe,itrarelymanagestoachieve,muchlesssustain,primetime,headlinecoverage.

WorldHungerandPoverty
Meaningfullongtermalleviationofhungerisrootedinthealleviationofpoverty,aspovertyleadstohunger.Worldhungerisa
terriblesymptomofworldpoverty.Ifeffortsareonlydirectedatprovidingfood,orimprovingfoodproductionordistribution,
thenthestructuralrootcausesthatcreatehunger,povertyanddependencywouldstillremain.Whileresourcesandenergies
aredeployedtorelievehungerthroughtechnicalmeasuressuchasimprovingagriculture,andasimportantastheseare,inter
relatedissuessuchaspovertymeansthatpoliticalsolutionsarelikelyrequiredaswellformeaningfulandlongtermhunger
alleviation.

AnupShah
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