What does it mean to be poor? How is poverty measured? Third World countries are often described as “developing” while the First World, industrialized nations are often “developed”. Just because one lacks material wealth doesn't mean that they are deprived or poor. This also means that a country with a strong economy in a developed nation with the majority of the population is struggling to survive is not worth much either. "Successful development can imply many things, such as an improvement in living standards and access to all basic needs such that a person has enough food, water, shelter, clothing, health, education. A stable political, social and economic environment, with associated political, social and economic freedoms, such as (though not limited to) equitable ownership of land and property;" This means overall that various institutions in the government need to be in charge of providing these basic needs to people who can't do this for themselves.
For a variety of reasons, these “full rights” are not available in many segments of various societies from the richest to the poorest. Accounting for the increased population between 1981 and 2005, the poverty rate has, however, fallen by about 25%. While this at least sounds encouraging, it masks regional variations, and perhaps most glaringly the impact of China. While poverty alleviation is important, so too is tackling inequality. Inequality is often discussed in the context of relative poverty, as opposed to absolute poverty.
That is, even in the wealthiest countries, the poor may not be in absolute poverty (the most basic of provisions may be obtainable for many) or their level of poverty may be a lot higher than those in developing countries, but in terms of their standing in society, their relative poverty can also have serious consequences such as deteriorating social cohesion, increasing crime and violence, and poorer health.
http://www.globalissues.org/article/4/poverty-around-the-world
Kayla Gammie
3/22/13
4:54 pm
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