Inequality and Poverty across the World

2021 ◽  
pp. 106-126
Author(s):  
Francis Teal

In this chapter we begin by examining the sources of poverty in the two waves of globalization, the first from 1700 to 1913 and the second from 1950 to the present. We then ask whether, during this second wave, absolute poverty has been falling? The answer turns out to depend on how we define the absolutely poor due to how incomes across the world have been rising. Under either of the definitions proposed from 2003 to 2008 the number of the absolutely poor has fallen. The data shows that, in percentage terms, the poorest of the poor have seen faster growth in incomes than the richest of the rich. Further, this pattern of growth has ensured that inequality has increased far more in poor than in rich countries.

Worldview ◽  
1976 ◽  
Vol 19 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 7-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Stalson

Something remarkable and of historic importance took place in New York during the first two weeks of September, 1975. At a Special Session of the United Nations the poor countries of the world, who have 70 per cent of its people and 30 per cent of its income, demanded that the rich, countries make some major changes in the international system. And the rich countries, including the United States, responded in new ways. Most reporters failed to notice how remarkable the events were, but the evidence is there.


2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimuli Kasara ◽  
Pavithra Suryanarayan
Keyword(s):  
The Poor ◽  

2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 647-663 ◽  
Author(s):  
GAIL WILSON

This paper discusses the material aspects of globalisation and the effects of the movements of trade, capital and people around the world on older men and women. While some older people have benefited, most notably where pensions and health care are well developed, the majority of older men and women are among the poor who have not. Free trade, economic restructuring, the globalisation of finance, and the surge in migration, have in most parts of the world tended to produce harmful consequences for older people. These developments have been overseen, and sometimes dictated, by inter-governmental organisations (IGOs) such as the International Monetary Foundation (IMF), the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), while other IGOs with less power have been limited to anti-ageist exhortation. Globalisation transfers resources from the poor to the rich within and between countries. It therefore increases social problems while simultaneously diminishing the freedom and capacity of countries to make social policy. Nonetheless, the effects of globalisation, and particularly its financial dimensions, on a nation's capacity for making social policy can be exaggerated. Political will can combat international economic orthodoxy, but the evident cases are the exception rather than the rule.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-207
Author(s):  
AN Ras Try Astuti ◽  
Andi Faisal

Capitalism as an economic system that is implemented by most countries in the world today, in fact it gave birth to injustice and social inequalityare increasingly out of control. Social and economic inequalities are felt both between countries (developed and developing countries) as well as insociety itself (the rich minority and the poor majority). The condition is born from the practice of departing from faulty assumptions about the man. In capitalism the individual to own property released uncontrollably, causing a social imbalance. On the other hand, Islam never given a state model that guarantees fair distribution of ownership for all members of society, ie at the time of the Prophet Muhammad established the Islamic government in Medina. In Islam, the private ownership of property was also recognized but not absolute like capitalism. Islam also recognizes the forms of joint ownership for the benefit of society and acknowledges the ownership of the state that aims to create a balance and social justice.


Author(s):  
Stephen Mutula

The debate about whether the digital divide between Africa and the developed world is narrowing or widening has intensified over the last five years. Some believe that access to technology is positively correlated to economic development and wealth creation, however, since the dawn of the last century, the gap between the rich and the poor within and between developed and developing countries has continued to grow. The protagonists in this debate do not seem to appreciate the notion that the digital divide is not about a single technology, and is driven by a complex set of factors that exist beyond wires. This paper attempts to deconstruct the concept of the digital divide beyond access to PCs, telephones, Internet, cable TV, etc… The authors argue that the phenomenon as currently conceived is misleading and flawed, and so are the indices for its measurement. Suggestions that a new model for mapping the phenomenon is made in order to bridge the divide between developed and developing countries. In deconstructing the digital divide, the authors use the Declaration of Principles of the World Summit on Information Society and the indices used to measure e-readiness, information society, digital opportunity, and e-government.


Author(s):  
Yue Chim Richard Wong

Why have the welfare states of the rich countries of the West, which transfer on average nearly a quarter of GDP from the rich to the poor, failed to alleviate poverty? And why has inequality widened in recent decades in these countries? The liberals in these countries—intellectuals and politicians—continue to argue for more public transfers. But if income redistribution could solve poverty, should it not have done so by now? The illusion that poverty can be solved through income redistribution is the key reason why so many rich economies have become saddled with public debt: in some countries it approaches 100% and even 200% of GDP.


2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang-Hyup Shin

Globalization is now well recognized by many as an inescapable feature of the world today. In particular, in the middle of global economic crisis globalization is one of the hot issues drawing much attention from countries around the world. There are contradictory perspectives on globalization. There are many sweeping statements that assert that economic globalization is increasing global poverty and inequality between the rich and the poor in the world. There are also many others who insist that the poverty and inequality issues have been resolved in some sense through globalization. In order to find the answer to the question, firstly the meaning of globalization was fully explained. Based on the understanding of globalization, the questions such as how globalization has contributed to reduce the economic gap between the developed and the developing countries, and to reduce the poverty by analyzing the economic growth, the number of people living below the absolute poverty line and so on were analyzed. The reasons why globalization is a good opportunity for some countries while some other countries get not something from the globalization was also discussed in this research. We found that globalization has contributed to reduce global poverty and to increase the welfare of both the developed and developing countries. However globalization has impacted different groups differently. Some have benefited enormously, while others have borne more of the costs. The developed countries could get more economic benefits from the less developed countries through globalization. This means, inequality between the rich and the poor countries still remained as a serious threat in the global economy. And even among the developing countries globalization has impacted differently. The trends toward faster growth and poverty reduction are strongest in developing economies that have integrated with the global economy most rapidly, which supports the view that integration has been a positive force for improving the lives of people in developing countries There are two main reasons for the inequality existing between the developed and developing countries. The fist one is the difference of economic size and power between the developed countries and the developing countries started to exist from the late 18th century. The second one is the differences in the management skill in taking advantage of the globalization.


Exchange ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 270-277
Author(s):  
Gnana Robinson

AbstractAll Churches and Missionary Movements in different parts of the world assert without hesitation that in all that they do, they follow the way of Jesus Christ. But the gross injustice in international economic dealings promoted by the so-called 'Christian Nations' in the world and the consequent widening of the gap between the rich and the poor in the world, the discrimination of people on the basis of creed, class, race and colour practised by many Christians and the power-struggle and corruption found in many local churches make the world wonder, the way of which Christ these Christians follow! The image of the Biblical Jesus is that of the Servant-leader, crowned with thorns, who emptied himself of all worldly riches, pomp and power and laid down his life as a ransom for many. Since the time of Emperor Constantine, this thorn-crowned servant Jesus is turned into a gold-crowned King, an anti-Christ with the face of 'Mammon', the idol of riches and power. Since one cannot worship God and Mammon at the same time, it is mandatory on the part of us all faithful Christians, to introspect ourselves and decide, the way of which Christ we want to follow.


1978 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-160
Author(s):  
Javed A. Ansari

THE United Nations Conference on Trade and Development came nto existence in 1964. Its creation was viewed with a degree of cautious enthusiasm by the Third World and with a certain amount of apprehension by the rich countries. Its performance has dampened the enthusiasm and heightened the apprehension. Its contribution to substantive changes in trade policies has not been spectacular. Whatever improvement in commodity prices and hence in the terms of trade of the poor countries that occurred in the early 1970s was attributable to fortuitous circumstances – not to a negotiated settlement between the rich and poor countries, enabling the latter to retain a larger portion of the gains from trade. Can we3 therefore3 say that UNGTAD has been ineffective? That it has failed to perform its global task? And if so, what is the cause of this failure? Is the organizational ideology unsuitable in the sense that it is not representative of the national objectives of viable coalitions among UNGTAD constituents? Or has the leadership failed to evolve a strategy which links the pursuit of specific sub-goals to the transformation of the system in accordance with the organizational ideology? This present paper attempts to look at the first question and to venture an opinion on the effectiveness of UNGTAD in the light of these findings.


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