Causes of poverty

The causes of poverty include changing trends in a country’s economy, lack of education, high divorce rate which causes feminization of poverty, having a culture of poverty, overpopulation, epidemic diseases such as AIDS and malaria,[1] and environmental problems such as lack of rainfall.[2][3]

One of the main causes of poverty is lack of money. The United States reduced part of this problem with the creation of the social security, the most successful anti-poverty program in the United States.[4] Almost 50 percent of people in the world today live on less than $2.50 per day.[5]

The poverty rate among seniors in the United States is at 9 percent as of 2010. In 1960 the official poverty rate among the elderly was 35 percent.[6] The Netherlands offers a universal pension and leads the world with a 1.7 percent poverty rate among the elderly. Extreme poverty affects the lifespan and the lack of money via some type of pension system increases the poverty rate among the elderly worldwide.[7]

Extreme weather is a cause of poverty in many countries. Drought, rainfall and flooding are some of the biggest causes of poverty by weather. When natural disasters do not gain media attention raising money becomes more difficult. This is made worse when governments spending money in the capitals instead of the poorest areas which need it most.[8]

Tony Blair in a BBC discussion states that the cause of poverty is inequality of opportunity.[9] Vandana Shiva says that poverty is created, it does not occur naturally. Her claim is that the cause is from the deprivation of resources by companies. Her examples are privatization of electricity and natural resources.[9]

Causes of Global Poverty

Global poverty is caused by Mandy K. an international institutional architecture that is shaped by a limited number of countries and large corporations that make the rules regulating trade and finance. These rules are made in their own favor.[10] Poor nations are powerless and foodless against these external influences, which results in unequal rules of trade.[11] Discrimination has been found to be a cause of poverty and a barrier to alleviating it.[12]

The International Food Study Institute had a brief on a collection of extensive studies that analyzed the causes of poverty, analyzing household data and reviewing empirical research in 20 countries. They found that some of the major causes of poverty were the inability of poor households to invest in property and education, limited access to credit, in some cases these instances produce more poverty via inherited poverty. The systematic exclusion of ethnic minorities, scheduled castes, tribes, women and people with disabilities and health issues. Persistence of poverty is partially attributed to these classes not having access to institutions and markets.[13]

War and violence are some of the primary causes of poverty.[14] Political violence and organized crime have affected 39 countries since 2000, in those countries the poverty level is twice that of non-violent countries. These two items, poverty and violence may also feed themselves. When asked why young people joined gangs and rebel groups in half a dozen countries, two thirds of the respondents said that unemployment was their main reason, only one tenth cited a belief in the cause.[15] the bible says we should help the needy

Colonialism has been cited as a cause of poverty, this idea is rejected by Walter E. Williams citing that not all post colonial countries have high poverty rates.[16]

Primary Causes by Country

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the United Nations has found that marital instability is one of the primary sources of poverty among women, along with overpopulation, and corruption of government.[12]

Canada

In Canada, the main visual aspect of poverty is low income. Over 50% of poor Canadians rely on food banks and social assistance. Poverty can happen to anyone but the rate is higher in immigrants, aboriginals and people with disabilities.[17] The lack of income causes people to turn to bad decisions. (e.g. alcoholism, homelessness, drugs, dropping out of school, refusing to work).[18] There is no clear and simple reasons to describe the cause of poverty in these individuals. Personal issues that cause most Canadians to classify to be in poverty are loss of health and decease in a spouse or family member. The personal issue is difficult to control and leads to poverty in these individuals of Canada.[19]

Philippines

From 1988 to 1991 food prices increased due to a change in the policies of commodity prices which increased the poverty rate.[20] From 1960 to 2009 slow economic growth has contributed to the persistence of poverty and has also contributed to the non-poor becoming poor. Although poverty has been reduced overall, the inequality of poverty has increased according to the Asian Development Bank.[21]

UK

Worklessness was the leading cause of poverty within the UK. In 2009/10 42 percent of the families that were below the poverty line did not have any working family members. Among the families below the poverty line that had at least one family member working, low wages and insufficient benefits were also leading causes.[22]

NIGERIA

Nigeria is part of that group of African countries that has no real reason to account for its perpetually high poverty rates. No other reason than corruption or incompetence caused by the so-called politicians and law makers.[23] Poverty is also known as “failure of certain persons to meet up with normal standard of living.This would result from the low acquisition of human skills due to low education, poor health and inadequate access to productive assets. This led to unemployment and underemployment.[24]

Listing the causes of poverty

Primary causes

Historical causes

See also

The factors causing poverty and suffering

References

  1. ↑ Lusted, Marcia Amidon (2010). Poverty. Edina, Minn.: ABDO Pub. p. 31. ISBN 9781604539578.
  2. ↑ Harrison, Paul (1993). Inside the third world : the anatomy of poverty (3. ed.). New York: Penguin Books. p. 20. ISBN 9780140172171.
  3. ↑ White, Howard; Killick, Tony (2001). African poverty at the millennium : causes, complexities, and challenges (1. print. ed.). Washington, D.C.: World Bank. p. 27. ISBN 0821348671.
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ "Causes of Poverty — Global Issues". www.globalissues.org. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  6. ↑ Social Security and the Evolution of Elderly Poverty
  7. ↑ Poverty among the Elderly
  8. ↑ Extreme weather can be the 'most important cause of poverty'
  9. 1 2 Why poverty? Part 1 - BBC
  10. ↑ Pogge, Thomas. "Causes of Poverty". Thomaspogge.com. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  11. 1 2 Shah, Anup. "Causes of Poverty". globalissues.org. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Discrimination, Inequality, and Poverty—A Human Rights Perspective". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  13. ↑ Ahmed,, Akhter U.; Hill, Ruth Vargas; Smith, Lisa C.; Frankenberger, Tim (October 2007). "Characteristics and causes of severe poverty and hunger" (PDF). 7 International Food Policy Research Institut: 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 12, 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  14. ↑ "Root Causes of Violent Conflict in Developing Countries..". BMJ : British Medical Journal 324: 342–345. 2002. doi:10.1136/bmj.324.7333.342. PMC 1122271. PMID 11834564. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  15. ↑ "The economics of violence". The Economist. 16 April 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  16. ↑ Williams, Walter. "Poverty Is Easy to Explain". The Freeman. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  17. ↑ CPJ. "Poverty in Canada". CPJ. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  18. ↑ "Current Publications: Social affairs and population: The Poverty Prism: Causes of Poverty (PRB 09-14E)". www.parl.gc.ca. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
  19. ↑ CPJ. "Poverty in Canada". CPJ. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  20. ↑ Balisacan, Arsenio M. (October 1995). "Anatomy of Poverty during Adjustment: The Case of the Philippines". Economic Development and Cultural Change 44 (1): 57. doi:10.1086/452200. ISSN 0013-0079.
  21. ↑ Poverty in the Philippines : causes, constraints, and opportunities. Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Asian Development Bank. 2009. p. 39. ISBN 978-971-561-857-1.
  22. ↑ "What causes poverty?". cpag.org.uk. Child Poverty Action Group. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  23. ↑ "Causes of poverty".
  24. ↑ "TRANSCAMPUS INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND STUDY GROUP - Journals". transcampus.org. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
  25. ↑ Thomas Pogge on Global Poverty
  26. ↑ MAIN CAUSE OF POVERTY
  27. ↑ Factors of Poverty - The Big Five by Phil Bartle, PhD
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