Poverty, destitution, or indigence can be used synonymously to imply they want necessities or material comforts, (Merriam-Webster,2008). This is just a simple definition of poverty. The world bank site, povertyNet gives a more comprehensive outlook of poverty as the lack of basic needs i.e. food, shelter, healthcare, education, the uncertainty of the future, lack of political representation, and lack of freedom. The other dimensions of poverty are economic, governance issues, and social problems.
The poor have no access to resources, earnings, and opportunities. Due to geographical and social segregation, the poor are not able to reach markets if they may have things to sell, those who may have skills cannot reach the job markets for employment. Poor educational opportunities contribute to the inability to be employed and also the inability to access and utilize information to better their lives. Another major contributor to poverty is poor health brought about by insufficient nutrition, poor hygiene, and health amenities. (World Bank, povertyNet) These reduce the chances of getting work and also disables the poor from achieving their intellectual capabilities. All these problems are made worse by lack of security and social structures and institutions which can incorporate the poor in policymaking to improve their status.
The extent of poverty differs from region to region. The main indicators of poverty according to the World Bank are income and consumption levels, social indicators, signs of vulnerability to risk, and signs of sociopolitical access. When assessing poverty at the consumption level of society, there are some parameters that have to be taken into account since poverty differs from place to place and time to time. Such include the level of development of the society, the values and norms upheld by the society..(World Bank, povertyNet) These usually affect the level of income and the spending habits. The poverty line is the minimum level of income necessary to meet the primary wants. The poverty line used by the World Bank is about $1.25 to $2 daily (purchasing power parity terms, 2005).
There are a number of measures that are being taken by various organizations and governments of some countries to alleviate the level of poverty. In a country, it would be the responsibility of the government to implement policies, which will maintain low levels of inflation, stable rates of exchange for the currency, and manageable fiscal deficits in the government budget, policies that will trigger private sector economic activities and also ensure the local economy is open so as to be co-opted into the global economy.
The governments should also ensure there is adequate investment into the assets of their impoverished populations in terms of provision of educational opportunities, training of skilled laborers, provision of proper healthcare, food availability being giving incentives to farmers, development of infrastructure in the rural areas, and also provision of credit facilities to the business people and entrepreneurs. (World Bank, povertyNet).
In order to achieve these goals and come up with workable policies, it is vital to involve the poor people in designing the policies and also putting them into effect. The governments should ensure there is transparency and those in authority should be accountable for their decisions. This will help in establishing comprehensive and inclusive workable policies which are supported by the people. When the communities are incorporated in decision-making and management of the scarce resources in their reach, they will be able to achieve more since they will be employed in productive areas.
It is helpful for the developed countries to open up their markets more for the products from the less developed countries and also contribute towards economic expansion on the global stage. (G8 Okinawa Summit. 2000.)These countries can also increase their aids to the poor countries but in controlled procedures to achieve the desired effects of financial improvement. This is attained by directing the funds towards disease and poverty alleviation projects like AIDS, malaria, TB. The countries can also be assisted in areas of technological improvements, especially in agricultural production.
Empowering the poor countries so as to be able to make improvements on their own can be achieved by expanding credit facilities and debt relief. They should also be given opportunities to contribute in international forums so that their needs are taken into account when making agreements. (G8 Okinawa Summit. 2000.)
References
G8 Okinawa Summit. 2000. Global Poverty Report. Web.
“Poverty.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. Merriam-Webster Online. Web.
World bank. PovertyNet. Understanding Poverty. 2008. Web.