Introduction
Poverty is a very critical global issues that affects a majority of people from different parts of the world including the developed and the developing countries. This is brought about by poor living conditions where the income earning is far below the poverty line with combination of other factors like economic inflation and recession hence the inability to live a normal life above poverty level (Jones 11).
This piece of work looks into the different aspects associated with global poverty with much emphasis being given to the causes, the extent to which it has spread and the various ways of reducing and eliminating it.
Aspects of global poverty
There are various aspects that are linked with global poverty each of them contributing to our understanding on the general concept of global poverty.
There are arguments that have been put forth in regard to the causes of poverty in various nations with some people saying that the governments in various nations are there to be blamed for their poor policies while others argue that the poor are to blame for their own state as it is as a result of poor decisions and lack of positive efforts to save their situation.
All in all it is evident that every party has its part to play in order to deal with this ordeal that has affected a majority of people rather than blaming one another for what has already happened (Barr 27).
There are various causes of poverty for instance bad governance in terms of policy making and implementation where equality is not adhered to, lack of individual responsibility where people do not do anything about their deteriorating situations, destruction of the environment due to human indulgence in environmental unfriendly operations making it unproductive, exploitation of people by those with power for instance business enterprises or even a combination of some of these aspects (Shah par 3).
Poverty rates in many countries have risen with the economic crisis and recession which has in a way resulted to decreased loss of value of other currencies especially with respect to the dollar making it very hard for local people to make ends meet. The gap between the rich and the poor is also very wide where the rich have more than enough while the poor are left to struggle in very difficult situations.
The rich usually have a say in various policies formulation while the poor are powerless and not influential in any way hence making it difficult for them to escape poverty (Garcia 45).
According to Cook (par 6), more than forty millions Americans are officially poor with about ninety millions struggling to make ends meet and thus could be classified as poor or near the poverty line. He added that in addressing the poverty problem then policies must be put in place that ensures that the gap between the rich and the poor is narrowed. Despite the fact that poverty is a problem by itself, it is also associated with other problems for instance increased rates of crime and violence.
This is so because when people are poor, they tend to try all means to save their situations and hide their frustration and indulging in criminal activities like drug trafficking, substance abuse among others is usually a quick option to them. Hunger is also another aspect that is linked to poverty and it has had many adverse effects to individuals including deaths and so in order to eliminate hunger in the world, there is dire need to deal with the issue of poverty (Rivlin 53).
Poverty is a global issue and has affected a majority of people and there is therefore a need for various parties like the government, public organizations, private agencies as well as individual well wishers to join hands in an effort to alleviate this ordeal and save people from suffering from the adverse effects of poverty.
“Opportunity, empowerment, and security have intrinsic value for poor people. And given the important complementarities among them, an effective poverty reduction strategy will require action on all three fronts, by the full range of agents in society—government, civil” (Lodge and Wilson 102)
Stoner ( 112) asserts that there are various moves that can be adopted to deal with poverty for instance technical measures that allow for meaningful and long term solution for example improving the agricultural sector and also investing in empowerment projects aimed at providing individuals with a stable source of income which will in return make their living conditions better and bearable.
Promotion of opportunities is also a key aspect that can help in curbing the issue of global poverty. It entails the expansion of economic opportunities for the poor in various nations through the stimulation of the overall growth and building up assets as well as increasing returns on the assets.
Empowering the poor in other political and social aspects is also a recommended step which entails making state related institutions to be more accountable and responsive to the less fortunate individuals for instance through involving them in various political and social decision making which will in return ensure that their needs are incorporated in the policies and decision making procedures.
Empowering of the poor people will also ensure that the social barriers that exist between the poor and the rich are eliminated (Rector par 6). Security is also a critical issue when it comes to the concept of global poverty.
To curb poverty among the populations, it is important that the vulnerability of poor people to various poverty aspects like poor health, natural disasters, displacements, violence and discrimination, among others are reduced as well as laying down strategies that are necessary in coping with these problems in case they occur such that the poor people do not suffer much.
The above measures are positive and should be recommended as compared to provision of food aid which in the long run exacerbate the poverty situation as it only provide for a short term solution which make the vulnerable people more dependent and expecting food aid all the time an aspect that is not good (World bank 51).
Conclusion
It is evident that global poverty is an issue of concern and it cannot go unmentioned when it comes to the discussion of the ordeals facing people in various nations in the world especially the third world countries.
It is a condition that has caused a lot of negative effects to human beings for instance heath problems brought about by poor living conditions and insufficient and inappropriate nutrition coupled with poor health facilities. To the extreme end, global poverty has resulted to deaths of many people including children and adults where they are unable to withstand the adverse effects associated with poverty.
Work Cited
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Cook, Richard. ‘‘Sustainable Economics to End Global Poverty’’. Global Research 2007. Web.
Garcia, Ginny. Mexican American and Immigrant Poverty in the United States. New York: Springer, 2011.
Jones Gruffydd Branwen. Explaining Global Poverty: A Critical Realist Approach. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2006.
Lodge, George and Wilson, Craig. A corporate Solution to Global Poverty: How Multinationals Can Help the Poor and Invigorate Their Own Legitimacy. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2006
Rector, Robert. “Understanding and Reducing Poverty in America”. The Heritage Foundation. 2008. Web.
Rivlin, Gary. Broke, USA: From Pawnshops to Poverty. New York: Harper Business INC, 2010.
Shah, Anup. “Causes of Poverty”. Global Issues 2011. Web.
Stoner Finch Arthur James. Innovative Approaches to Reducing Global Poverty. USA: IAP, 2007
World Bank. Causes of Poverty and a Framework for Action. World Development Report 2000/2001.