Poverty | EssayIvy.com

SURNAME 1

Name:

Lecturer:

Course:

Date of Submission:

Causes and Effects of Poverty

According to World Bank Report on poverty level, it was indicated that 10.7 % of the

global population depend on less than $1.90 per day. Poverty is defined as lack of sufficient

resources or income. There has been a progress since 1990 when poverty level stood at 35%

which was about 1.85 billion people. However, the poverty level has decreased over the years,

but the reduction has not been uniform. The drop in poverty level has been driven by East Asia

and Pacific especially in China and Indonesia where the poor population has reduced by 71

million people and in South Asia where the population of the poor people has reduced by 37

million. Sub-Saharan Africa contributes to more than half of the world’s poorest people,

although the number of the poor reduced by four million, to stand at 389 million poor people in

the region (The World Bank, 2016). In the U.S 13.5 percent of the total population is poor (US

Census Bureau, 2016). This essay seeks to identify the major causes of poverty and discuss some

of the measures that can be implemented to reduce poverty level.

Poverty is attributed to multifaceted forces. One of those forces is inequality in the

distribution of income. In the modern world, economic resources are unevenly distributed, causing

the persistence of poverty (Caranti). Not all poor people are malnourished or extremely deprived,

but they vulnerable to small upsets in their income or an increase in prices of essential goods and

services. If such changes occur, they are likely to be thrown off the balance. If the income of these

SURNAME 2

population was summed up, it is less than a third of world’s household income. The top five percent

earners earn about nine times what the bottom quarter earns. Given the numerous resources

available in the world today, poverty could easily be eliminated by increasing the share of low

earners (Caranti). Unfortunately, the trend is going in the opposite direction whereby the rich

continue to amass more wealth while the state of the poor continues to deteriorate.

Corruption is another cause of poverty across. It arises at all levels of the community

including national and local governments, civil society, small and large businesses, and judiciary.

Corruption interferes with development, provision of health services, environment preservation,

democracy, and other factors that improve the standards of living (Caranti). Although all members

of the society are affected by corruption, the poor are the most affected. Ordinary people who are

economically strapped have minimal alternatives on how they can access goods and services.

Where corruption is a serious issue, the poor are more vulnerable and at risk of being exploited.

They will have to pay bribes in order to receive goods and services.

Additionally, poverty is caused agricultural cycles and natural disasters (Korankye).

Families that depend on subsistence farming experience a period of hunger prior to harvesting.

During that period, they lack sufficient resources to meet their nutritional needs. Further, the

occurrence of natural calamities such as drought, earthquakes, floods and hurricane cause

devastating effects. When their farm produce is destroyed and they have to rely on donations to

sustain themselves. If no help is offered, victims of natural calamity may die due to hunger or

diseases resulting from the calamity. Developing countries are affected the most since they have

not developed infrastructure and mechanisms of responding to the natural crisis.

Another cause of poverty is illiteracy and widespread of diseases. Most poor people,

especially in developing countries, live in rural areas and they are illiterate (Korankye). An

SURNAME 3

illiterate population cannot take advantage of improved production technology and preventative

health services. An educated workforce is more productive than an illiterate population. Across

the world, there are millions of adults who cannot read or write, thus, struggle to make a living.

Despite the numerous resources and well-developed infrastructure in the US, there are thirty-six

million adults who cannot read any better than a third grader (US Census Bureau, 2016). Illiteracy

affects almost every aspect of life. Those that lack or have a minimal education are likely to be

poor, face health challenges since they cannot read prescriptions or instructions, they do not know

how to protect themselves from preventable diseases, and they are isolated from technological

developments (Korankye). Poor health impacts on the ability to learn to reduce human capital and

impedes entrepreneurial projects which are key to economic development. The major diseases

causing poverty in the world include malaria, HIV/AIDS, and other infectious diseases.

Education is a basic right for every individual and a method of poverty reduction.

Education is applicable and necessary throughout a person’s life. It is potentially good for

generating income as well as developing society (Haskins, 2012). Societies and countries with low

level of poverty have a well-educated population which is able to make proper judgment,

decisions, and take advantage of infrastructure available in their country. Further such a population

is a position to question the government when it does not perform since they know their rights and

they cannot be lied to by government officials. Education goes a long way in inhibiting corruption,

which is a root of poverty in many countries (Haskins, 2012). However, research and experience

show there are many obstacles that stand in the way of education ability to improve the living

conditions of the poor. Although many governments have invested in education, they have failed

to analyze how education will reach the poor thus rendering the efforts fruitless.

SURNAME 4

Moreover, poverty can be reduced by creating employment opportunities that value human

capital and remunerate them accordingly. In the developing countries, the unemployment rates are

high even among the educated individuals. A significant number of those who are able to get jobs

are poorly paid. As a result, when they get employment opportunities in other countries, they

migrate depriving off their countries skills necessary for economic growth, which slows down the

process of job creation and affects the potential of country development in the long run (Page, &

Shimeles, 2015). Unemployment and underemployment are a cause of the widespread poverty.

Governments should work towards creating employment opportunities that are sustainable to avoid

migration of skilled human capital and reduce the poverty levels.

In conclusion, poverty is still a problem in many countries, with the highest rates of poverty

being observed in the Sub-Saharan Africa. There are many causes of poverty including illiteracy

and poor health, unequal distribution of wealth, corruption, and natural disaster. However, poverty

is a problem that can be solved if various stakeholders involved are willing to solve it, although it

may take time. Some measures that can be employed to reduce poverty include educating the poor,

providing employment opportunities, enhancing health, and equalizing wealth distribution across

populations.

SURNAME 5

References

Caranti, Luigi. "The Causes Of World Poverty: Some Reflections On Thomas Pogge’S

Analysis". Theoria, vol 57, no. 125, 2013, Berghahn Books, doi:10.3167/th.2010.5712503.

Haskins, R. (2012). What Works Is Work: Welfare Reform and Poverty Reduction. Northwestern

Journal of Law & Social Policy, 4(1), 31-60.

Korankye, A. (2014). Causes of Poverty in Africa: A Review of Literature. American International

Journal of Social Science, 3(7), 147-153. Retrieved from

http://www.aijssnet.com/journals/Vol_3_No_7_December_2014/16.pdf

Page, J., & Shimeles, A. (2015). Aid, Employment and Poverty Reduction in Africa. African

Development Review, 27(S1), 17-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.12136

The World Bank, (2016). Poverty Overview. Worldbank.org. Retrieved 28 March 2017, from

http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview

US Census Bureau, (2016). Income and Poverty in the United States: 2015. Census.gov. Retrieved

28 March 2017, from https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2016/demo/p60-

256.html

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."