Miscellaneous
This article focuses on the debt of the lowest income nations. It is noted that out of 59 of the low-income developing countries, 24 are in or approaching a debt crisis. Mostly centered in sub-Saharan Africa, these nations’ debt stems from an inability to pay interest on their loans. In these countries, corporate debt is much lower. Despite this, debt can have a significant impact on citizens.
This journal article looks at debt in a regional, as opposed to a global or national context. More specifically, it looks to compare the rates that debt rescheduling, and look at indicators for if they will be granted rescheduling.
This TED talk discusses the idea of a poverty trap, and how impoverished people often get more and more poor as time goes on. Ceder gives several examples of people in such situations, and how they not only financially burden them, but can have effects on their physical and mental health and family relationships.
This article focuses on debt in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia regions. It explains that when a country is in economic crisis, it is important to choose carefully which social programs they cut.
This op-ed describes the importance of anti-poverty policy in politically unstable countries, drawing a line of correlation between poverty and conflict. This has a cyclical effect, where poverty can promote conflict and incentivize people to become militants, and feed the conflict, which in turn causing more poverty.
This op-ed from the Brookings Institute describes two broad approaches to combatting poverty. One is to directly give poor people more money, in the form of raises or redistribution, and the other is combatting the impact of poverty. The author explains that the first approach works somewhat well, with social security and tax credits helping poor families, but that the second approach is much more effective in the long term.
This article focuses specifically on Thailand, where personal debt is a growing problem. “Delinquent loans,” or loans that have not had a payment in 3 months or more, are growing steadily in the country. There are many consequences of this type of growing debt that cannot be paid off.
This TED talk discusses the “direct action” people can take against debt. In the beginning, some issues with debt are detailed, such as payday loan businesses that loan out money to people with very little money, and then put in extremely high interest rates if they cannot pay. This is highly predatory.
This TED talk discusses the links between prison recidivism and debt. Through examples of people she has worked with, Guro Sollien Eriksrud explains that many people face debt after being released from prison.
This article explores the idea of the universal basic income, and its pros and cons. It is supported as a way not to bring people out of poverty, but to keep people from falling into poverty in the first place.
This report is a summary of a case study done about the various attempts at eradicating poverty in Chile, presented at the Shanghai Poverty Conference. Following a 1982 financial crisis, Chile needed to enact policies to bolster the economy. Efforts to grow the economy worked in the context of exports and unemployment, but the rate of poverty stayed much the same.
This page, focusing on US poverty, highlights the importance of government policy in tackling the issue of poverty. Programs such as social security and tax credits for having dependents are vital to keeping millions out of poverty. In addition, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) reduced poverty as well as some of the effects of malnutrition, and its ripple effects. Children are affected by these programs more than any other group.
This article, while somewhat outdated, highlights the potential failures of government policy in fighting poverty. One program was one to distribute grain to poor households, where only 41% reached its destination. Another program sought to reduce unemployment, but failed to affect the rates seen in some of the poorest states in India.
This article discusses discrepancies in countries that have moved into middle-income status, with some of them still maintaining high levels of poverty. It discuss the various factors or forces that can help predict the fragility of a state.
Short but defining article explaining why humans are the problem to poverty. The “commons” that during much of history belonged to everyone and no one have been taken and exploited. This began a few hundred years ago, when land was sectioned off and privatized.
This source, covering the past few years, shows with charts and statistics that poverty in Latin America is growing. As of 2016, the source explains that roughly a third of Latin America is living in poverty, with a tenth live in extreme poverty.
This source contains several charts, with trends relating to poverty. In India and Africa, poverty is shown to be decreasing. In the United States, poverty is increasingly centered in suburbs. This source would be good to use for its charts, as illustrations during lessons about poverty in these areas.
This article talks about the phenomenon in Latin America that while overall poverty has decreased, extreme poverty has increased. The source also discusses the role of women in the Latin American economy. The number of women working compared to the number of men is less, and the jobs women tend to have are paid less. This is largely because women do the work required to maintain the home, which leaves little time for other work.
This source contains several charts explaining trends in different parts of the world, between 2001 and 2011. These charts would be useful in a lesson about any of the parts of the world, or as a discussion of world trends. Overall, they show that while this growth is not equal in all parts of the world, the middle class expanded worldwide during this period.
This site discusses misunderstandings about poverty research and explains how historical data on this topic is gathered. The first point is saying that data gathered from the past must account for non-cash related resources. A person in the past may have had no cash, but if they had land and farms, they could be relatively wealthy for the time. To measure the wealth of entire countries, things like their income, expenditures and outputs are measured. These methods all produce similar results. Understanding these methods can be important for those looking to do their own research on this topic.
This source describes how world poverty is decreasing, but at a slowing rate. This is mostly due to certain areas being entrenched in poverty, making it hard to eliminate it in these strongholds. Because of this, the author asserts that the UN goal of virtually eliminating poverty by 2030 will not be reached.
This site from UC Davis gives a look at how the United States’ government looks at poverty in a broad, geographic sense. Areas with 20% or more poverty are seen as areas of ‘concentrated’ poverty. These areas are also the focus of many aid programs. Poverty is also highly concentrated. People living in certain neighborhoods tend to fall into similar income brackets, concentrating poorer people in certain areas overall.
This source is an interview by MIT of Amy Glasmeier, a professor of Economic Geography and Regional Planning. She uses central Appalachia in the United States as an example of how an area rich in a lucrative resource falls into poverty.
This article has information regarding the way poverty is measured. Since the 2000 plan to reduce poverty by 2015, the poverty line has changed from 1 US dollar a day to US $1.90 a day. It also notes that people near the poverty line are highly vulnerable, as changing in the economy can tip them into poverty.
An article that gives a look at how the United States’ government looks at poverty in a broad, geographic sense. Areas with 20% or more poverty are seen as areas of ‘concentrated’ poverty. These areas are also the focus of many aid programs. Poverty is also highly concentrated.
It focuses on a new alternative that the U.S. Census Bureau brought forth in 2010. The alternative is known as the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). The reason for this alternative measurement was to correct potential deficiencies from the official rate.
An article that proposes four anti-poverty measures that government policies should include. In short, these government policies are means-tested welfare benefits, minimum wages, free market policies to promote economic growth, and direct provision of goods/services.
An article that speaks on the new trends in the fight against poverty. Some trends from the newest report from the World Poverty Clock are the following: India’s Success: By the end of 2019, India will bring down the number of people in extreme poverty from 50 million to 40 million. Africa’s Stagnation: Poverty is up from five years ago; in 2019 some 70% of the world’s poor will live in Africa. The Road to 2030: Asia will outperform every other developing region and will have an average rate of below 3% percent.
A short article on a global perspective of Nigeria and most of Africa in relation to the rest of the world within poverty rates. As Nigeria is the poverty capital along with other countries within Africa, other countries around the world have been taking steps towards eradicating poverty. Some examples within the article include China and Vietnam.
An article analyzes the successes of Brazil’s experience in poverty alleviation. The author pinpoints three of the policies that helped with the country’s success: Bolsa Familia (family scholarships), educational reform, and the minimum wage. The Bolsa Familia policy provides financial aid to families whose income per month is under US$150. The value of these “scholarships” are roughly between US$10 and US$80 and must provide necessary documents for the aid.
An article is focused on the research on poverty and the effects it has on the brain. The research and studies were done in Bangladesh and they were on the effect poverty has on children. The research goal was to see the linkages between malnutrition, growth and neurological development.
An article about the United States and the correlation between psychology and poverty. The article starts off with the poverty percentages over the decades in the United States, with 41 million people in 2016 lived below the country’s poverty line, which is about 13% of the U.S. population.
An article on the pre-fontal cortex. The pre-frontal cortex handles talk execution, problem-solving, and goal setting. It also works with the limbic system, which processes emotions and triggers emotional responses. The article talks about research they’ve done and how they believe that when a person lives in poverty, the limbic system is in constant fear and stress. These emotional strains get sent to the pre-frontal cortex and overloads its ability to properly function and execute tasks.
VISA has begun to reach out to those living in poverty that lack access to financial institutions. Many are living solely with cash. Without banking or access to financial institutions, it becomes difficult to save or invest in a future. The goal is to provide financial access to 500 million people who are living in underserved locations. Electronic payment systems will become an important tool in combatting poverty and helping merchants grow their business.
During the economic slowdown when the world saw little growth, poverty was able to decline. The author believes that many aspects of poverty can be related back to inequality, and by reducing inequalities, we can eliminate poverty. The World Bank studied countries where inequality decreased in recent years. Countries included Cambodia, Tanzania, Peru, Brazil, and Mali. Six successful policies were identified: early childhood development, universal health coverage, access to quality education for all, cash transfers for poor families, rural infrastructures, and progressive taxation.
The World Bank has used complimentary poverty lines: $3.20 and $5.50 a day. These are used in middle and upper-income countries, but not meant to replace the international poverty line. One family in India has doubled its income by starting its own business. This would not have happened without a loan from a World Bank/IFC partner company. As economic growth in a nation advances, the definition of poverty and basic needs changes. Poverty is not just defined with monetary value and economics. A person may have enough income, but can lack access to the basic needs and essential services like health care, sanitation, or education.
This source is a summary of a report that analyzed the effects of colonialism and attempted to determine whether or not it was true that colonialism has had a lasting effect on the former colony countries. It was determined, even after controlling for different variables, that places that were colonized still see the remnant effects of the exploitative colonial system today.
This article, written by an African author, discusses the damage of neo-colonial practices in Africa. He sees the way aid is being given to Africa, often by former colonial powers, or powers like China who are trying to expand their influence, as having some of the same motivations as colonialism but being changed to fit into the modern-day prohibitions to openly claiming other countries’ land as part of an empire.
This is a good source for illustrating the linkages between colonialism and modern-day poverty. It covers a wide variety of factors, starting with colonialism and drawing correlations between it and other factors like corruption, agriculture, land ownership, and demographics. This is a more casual resource, good for a quick, chronological view of the subject.
An article on examining other links to terrorism other than poverty. The article includes quotes from George W. Bush and James Wolfensohn that say poverty and terror are linked. An example given for the weak connection between to two are from a study in global percentages of the poverty line and transnational terrorist episodes within world poverty.
An article that debunks the link between poverty and terrorism. The article states that as there has been more and more research on this topic, most of them has shown that poverty doesn’t “breed” terrorism. This article also looks at the research done by Harvard economist Alberto Abadie, who looks at political rights being the key link to terrorism, not poverty or income. The research found that it was the countries with middle-range levels of public freedoms that has the most potential to breed terrorism.
An article that deputes the idea that poverty causes terrorism and even calls this theory a myth. According to the article, Westerners were shocked to find out that the suicide bombers in Sri Lanka were well off and educated individuals. This article looks at research done by Claude Berrebi and Owen Engle that disproves this “western” myth. Some of the extremist groups that the researchers collected data on include Hizballah (Muslim terrorist group), Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Palestinian National Authority. The research concluded that there was no link between terrorism and poverty at an individual level.
An article on a personal story of a man who now holds a salary over US$700,000 but still feels anxiety, depression, and fear of scarcity in his life. The author argues new research shows that poverty has biological effects on a person. Poverty is a disease; it is no longer just a socioeconomic condition.
This national report highlights six programs that Poland is implementing to reduce poverty and meet the objectives of SDG #1. Here are some examples: Family 500 Plus is a financial assistance program for families with children that aims to reduce poverty among the youngest of Poland’s citizens and increase the birth rate. The Social Innovation Incubator is a system that aims to identify social problems and find solutions to eliminate and reduce them. Medicines 75+ is a program for the elderly. It ensures that all elderly have access to free medications, medical supplies, and nutritional foodstuffs. Procuring these items create a financial burden on many elderly citizens. By offering free medical items, they can keep the elderly out of poverty. National Housing program offers housing and assistance to low-income families.
An article on the effects of behavioral science on children in poverty. According to the article, one out of five children age 0 to 3 in the United States live in poverty and less than one out of five will escape poverty later on in life. This author talks about the importance of behavioral science within the fight of poverty.
Leaders and policymakers must address the growing inequalities and wage gaps. Policymakers rarely agree on how to address these issues. There is little evidence for how to act upon inequalities. Ideas were mentioned to study data for solutions. However, there is no mention of where the funding for such research will be found.
This source discusses different causes of poverty, in a broad sense, in Africa today. Taking the stance that the legacy of colonialism, and the continuing effects of neo-colonial policies perpetuate poverty, the author explains that the way the wealthy western powers have set up the world in the post-colonial world have set countries in Africa at a disadvantage. Because of the ravages of slavery and colonialism, many of these countries started off lagging behind, with infrastructure, political culture and their economies not being adjusted to being tossed into the world stage to compete against the European and American powers.
The author explains there is a gap between a nation’s poverty line and the international poverty line, causing mistakenly positive remarks about poverty reduction in those specific countries and worldwide. Claims the majority of the world’s poor live in nations that have experienced significant economic growth. The growth strategies the countries practice keep producing poverty. The World Bank attributes much of the poverty reduction to economically improving Asian nations. However, using multidimensional measures such as education, health, and economic standards of living, as many as 70% of the world’s poor lives in middle-income countries.
This article takes a moderate view on the effects of colonialism. The author acknowledges and agrees that colonialism put the global south, specifically Africa, at a disadvantage economically. However, he also says that some of the hardships are the fault of modern African leaders, who often fall into corruption and greed to the detriment of their people.
An article that disputes the idea that poverty brings forth an increase in war and terrorism. Although a lot of academic literature suggests this likely correlation, the researcher, Alberto Abadie, suggests that a country’s level of political freedom brings forth the presence of terrorism. He also says income per capita is not always associated with terrorism, that many of the terrorist are from middle-income countries and educated background.
This article discusses early political thinkers like Andre Gunder Frank who spread the idea that colonialism is the cause of much modern-day poverty in the global south. In essence, he helped to shift the thinking about poverty in these areas from poverty being the beginning point of analysis, to instead being the endpoint. He took a staunchly anti-capitalist view of the world, seeing capitalism as the driving force behind much of the colonial oppression, and supports socialism as the solution.
An article that depicts a line between poverty and terrorism. The opening paragraphs give an example of terrorism in Sri Lanka, that happened on Easter Sunday. This example shows that the terrorists in this attack were not economically deprived. They were actually from affluent and high social status families. The article states that two of the terrorists were sons of a wealthy spice trader in the community. Although the author gives this specific example, he states that we should not dismiss the possible link between poverty and terrorism.
A real-time estimate of world poverty. The purpose of this website is to monitor the progress of the sustainable development goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030. This website is an interactive webpage that brings forth estimates in real-time. Readers can go back years and move in the future based off the history this goal.
An article that focuses on Africa and its relation to violence and terrorism.
The article’s first paragraph gives examples of terrorism within Africa and the counting numbers of those dead within the past five years. According to the article, some 33,000 people have died in terrorism-related violence in Africa. The article states that these countries within Africa are vulnerable to terrorism-related violence because of the weak institutions and ungoverned territory. It has a strong statement stating, “…poverty, social marginalization, and political disenfranchisement are the fertilizers extremist groups need to take root and grow.”
An article that shows the Global Monitoring Report, which analyzed policies and institutions to make progress in the Millennium Development Goals. However, the Global Monitoring Report was discontinued in 2016, it but brings valuable insight on the years 2015-2016. In 2015, the percent of those living in global poverty (living on $1.90 or less a day) declined to 9.6% of the world population. The Report also looked at demographic shifts and how they could change the course of global development. The main goal is sustainable development progress.
The United Nations website and involves tabs linking to various global issues. The webpage goes into what poverty is, facts and figures, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), measuring poverty, global action, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, and gives the resources of each topic. Ending poverty is one of the multiple global issues the website covers.
A website that brings forth the major facts of global poverty and the history of it. It describes the past two hundred years of the eradication of poverty; from 1820-2015. The website gives links to common questions within information of each of the given topics. As the website brings a lot of important information and questions to surface. Interestingly, it also talks about prayer in one section.
An article that breaks down important information on understanding what extreme poverty is and who falls within the complex reality. The article talks on how the path to end extreme poverty by 2030 is going, what stagnation looks like, policy and growth, how poverty flows not only into consumption but also individual wellbeing and the history of global extreme poverty. The webpage has multiple graphs with rich detail on each of the topics listed above and has too many to post onto this report. This webpage is very detailed and complex.
This article, from GAVI, (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization), explains the effects that vaccines have on poverty. Their reasoning is that with more universal vaccination in impoverished areas, overall healthcare costs will go down Hepatitis B, Meningitis A, and Measles are the diseases that are most able to be prevented by these vaccines For every US$ 1 spent on immunization, US$ 16 is saved in healthcare costs, lost wages and lost productivity due to illness. Hence, vaccinations are a relatively cheap way to improve the health of communities, which in turn reduces the costs of healthcare and increases the productivity of the area.
This article highlights the connections between disease and poverty. “The fact of the matter is that the relationship between poverty and health is inextricably linked, presenting a chicken-and-the-egg situation where one seemingly exists, in part, because of the other.” “Poverty creates conditions that favor the spread of infectious diseases and prevents affected populations from obtaining adequate access to prevention and care.”
The poverty tab on the World Bank website that gives an overview of their research and statistics of poverty. It gives a brief overview of the most recent reports and states that the world is not on tract to end extreme poverty by 2030. On this starting page, it shows data, poverty and shared prosperity series, focus areas such as measuring poverty, research, blogs, graphs, and more. It is a great website with a trove of data and easy to navigate. Here is one of the graphs shown under “Use Our Data:”
In recent decades, South Korea has grown from a poor country to one of middle class. The elderly and senior citizens of this nation do not feel the growth. There are little to no safety nets for older citizens. Seniors receive a subsistence package of approximately $220 per month. One says he has to pick up recyclable waste paper to make ends meet. The poverty rate of elderly South Koreans is around 4 times the average.
Crimes committed by elderly citizens has risen by 45% in the last five years, while the general crime rate has dropped according to this article. Social isolation couple with poverty has been reported among elderly South Koreans which may have a correlation with the rising crime. 80% of elderly Koreans reported their only leisure time was spent watching television. Many senior citizens have fallen through the cracks of the nation’s pension plan. When it was first implemented, they required you pay premiums for 10 years while working. Many were not aware of this and therefore did not participate.
This method does not necessarily pull people out of poverty entirely, but can help alleviate the burdens presented by debt. While this method cannot be the only thing done in an area to be effective, it is a helpful stepping stone to get people some help
Care fights to alleviate poverty in many regions. Website offers a map of “Countries in Crisis” so we can see globally who is most affected. Has a page of inspiring real-life stories. Many are refugees or survivors sharing their journey and how they help others like themselves. Explains the “Care Package” that this organization has used for over 70 years to help those in need.
Oxfam is a group of multiple organizations working together and working within communities. They work in 90 countries. Their goal is to provide practical and new ways to help lift people out of poverty. Oxfam provides tools for individuals to help in raising awareness and helping to fight against poverty. They will send you a kit to help you host a “Hunger Banquet.” Many materials are free. Provides information on sustainable food practice and which supermarkets still sell food that contain human suffering to produce.
This source describes how world poverty is decreasing, but at a slowing rate. This is mostly due to certain areas being entrenched in poverty, making it hard to eliminate it in these strongholds. Because of this, the author asserts that the UN goal of virtually eliminating poverty by 2030 will not be reached. This slowing of progress has even reversed in the Middle East, where conflicts have increased poverty due to damaged infrastructure and people fleeing from the violence.
This organization campaigns and advocates for those living in extreme poverty. One of their beliefs is that fighting poverty isn’t about charity, but about bridging inequalities and bringing justice. Offers ideas on how individuals can help the fight against poverty. Provides information on gender inequalities, primarily with females. One has a page for college students to help advocate and take action.
The Hunger Project advocates for every single person, man, woman, and child, to have a healthy dignified life free of hunger. They offer sustainable solutions and advocate for them to be adopted worldwide to help those that are living in poverty. Many solutions are women-centered. Offers a “Knowledge Center” full of accurate facts about global poverty. Lists informative ways that anyone can get involved and help the fight against global poverty.