poverty - rob g on Diigo

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Escaping the Poverty Trap: On the Chronic Poverty Report 2008-09 | IPS

The solutions to these 'poverty traps' include nets of social protection, particularly through cash transfers to households; public services for the hard to reach poor; anti-discrimination and gender empowerment measures; building individual and collective assets, and strategic urbanization and migration policies.

Perhaps the report's most interesting proposal is to expand welfare systems to guarantee the chronically poor a basic income, both as their right and as a way out of poverty. The experiences of Brazil, Chile, India and South Africa show that social transfers in cash or in kind reduce vulnerability, allow the poor to engage in more productive economic activities, and are generally judiciously spent.

According to the researchers, social protection is affordable and can be scaled up even in relatively poor countries, as Bangladesh and Uganda have shown.

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some governments that have effectively responded to poverty -- Ethiopia, Uganda and Vietnam -- are not wholly democratic. Democracy alone does not guarantee pro-poor policies, says the report. Some 'elite projects' (a polite term for mildly authoritarian regimes) have forged a social compact between citizens and the state that placed chronic poverty seriously on the policy agenda. Policy-makers must get "thinking beyond the contemporary mantra of democracy, elections and decentralization".
some governments that have effectively responded to poverty -- Ethiopia, Uganda and Vietnam -- are not wholly democratic
is sometimes "a tension at the international level between promoting poverty reduction ... and promoting competitive multi-party democracy."

"In many cases democracies produce governments which are very effective in reducing poverty -- witness recent experience in Brazil, for example," he added.

"There are less democratic regimes which have been and are very effective in reducing poverty, and the international community needs to recognise that part of this effectiveness may be due to the nature of the regime, where a strong connection between regime and citizens has been forged through a popular movement, which generates a 'social compact' between elite and the poor as part of a national development 'project'.

"China and Vietnam would also be examples, and there are others during the last 60 years. The implication for the international community would be to exercise caution in attaching political conditionalities to aid or other international negotiations. Of course this does not mean that in extreme cases (eg Zimbabwe) the international community should not take a strong political position."
Of the 32 countries identified as chronically deprived, 22 are considered fragile states, racked by conflict, war and greedy elites. A fragile state is one that does not reduce risk to its citizens through providing law and order, services and infrastructure.
In mineral-rich but 'poor-unfriendly' states, donors should support advocacy efforts to empower citizens and provide technical assistance for social protection, mainly on health and education, nudging such states to become institutions that interact meaningfully with poor people.

In resource-poor countries with 'poor-friendly' governments, donors should step up budget support, reduce aid volatility, and shoulder much of the cost of providing basic services and social protection.

This, until economic growth raises the revenue base. Eventually, functional states should set up effective systems of public finances. People who should pay taxes will do so, instead of evading them, and the poor will benefit.

Economic growth eases poverty, but a rising tide does not lift all boats, warns the report. Growth alone does not automatically benefit the chronically poor. Living in remote areas, suffering from food shortages and poor health, exploited in work, not fully participant in social and economic life, they are locked out of the national growth process.

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Increased Foreign Investment Will Not Lift All Boats | IPS (05.08.08.)

During a recent meeting with Fabio Valencio, Colombia’s Minister of the Interior, in Bogotá the President of Canada’s largest union said he fully grasped the dangerous nature of a free trade deal between the two countries.

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"Our overwhelming conclusion is that a free trade agreement will not help the
Colombian people," said the Canadian labour leaders
"Our overwhelming conclusion is that a free trade agreement will not help the
Colombian people," said the Canadian labour leaders in a statement.
95 percent of Colombian workers do not have an
enforceable collective agreement
While Colombia is a signatory to International Labour Organization (ILO)
protocols which should guarantee workers the right to organise independent
trade unions, the protocols have not been codified into domestic legalisation
Even a decade ago, most of Colombia’s 22,000 cane workers were unionised,
according to Moist. Today, the industry has been contracted out and workers
receive less money per pound of cane than they did ten years ago.
"Colombia imposes tariffs averaging 11 percent on industrial goods, 17
percent on agricultural and 15 to 20 percent on cotton yarns and paper
products," said Thomas d'Aquino, leader of the Canadian Council of Chief
Executives (CCCE) in a May presentation to a parliamentary committee. "The
elimination of these tariffs would greatly benefit Canada," said d’Aquino.

In particular, politically influential Canadian mining firms want access to the
vast natural wealth under Colombia’s soil. "The proposed agreement would
benefit companies and workers in a wide range of industries, including the
automotive sector, steel, chemicals, public infrastructure development, oil
drilling… mining and advanced manufacturing such as mining machinery and
equipment," d’Aquino told Canadian politicians.

While a lack of collective bargaining rights may hurt average workers, foreign
interests seem content with the current labour situation in Colombia. "No
Canadian mining operations are unionised in Colombia," says Moist.

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Trade in Africa: Exports Are the Best Way to Develop | Stephanie Nieuwoudt, IPS (04.08.08)

Lack of export orientation in the past has caused economic failures in African countries, which is why these countries should focus on exports to build industries.

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After colonisation there were high rates of economic growth between 1960 and 1975. Africa's share in the global industry rose from seven to eight percent.
African economies were based on import substitution instead of export-oriented industrialisation.

Countries did not invest in manufacturing plants -- for example the motor industry, heavy machinery and mining. Instead the focus was on reducing imports and producing primary commodities such as tobacco or manufactured goods such as beverage and clothing and leather products. Import substitution led to ‘‘shallow industrialisation’’.

There was also no cohesion of industrial projects and a failure to deepen import-substitution industrialisation through regional integration.
The economies of the developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa not only stagnated but actually declined. De-industrialisation took place and led to the demise of institutions and capacity.

The harmful legacy of a lack of export-driven industrialisation is again becoming apparent in the current global economic climate. Although the World Bank cited an increase of exports from 5.7 billion dollars in 1990 to 12.5 billion dollars in 2005, there is a false optimism
as the exports were mainly in the form of raw products by multinational companies whose headquarters are elsewhere.
Some analysts argue that the services industry -- e.g. communication technology and tourism – is more important than the manufacturing industry.
Corruption has also been identified as a hurdle to growth and development in Africa.
‘‘In Asia corruption, or rent seeking and rent creation, is rampant.

‘‘But in these countries rents were achievable through activities which served national interests and the realisation of rents was related to performance standards. In other words, money from corruption was kept in the country, which benefited the national economy.

‘‘In contrast many leaders in Africa have used graft money to open Swiss bank accounts, which does not benefit their countries."
‘‘Africa has to rethink regional cooperation. Early ideas of regional integration assumed planned national economies that somehow allocated activities among themselves in a planned way. This failed.

‘‘Current regional integration policies assume that the markets in neoliberal member states will grow if the state provides infrastructure and some regional regulatory bodies. However, this is not working, hence the need for a rethink.’’

Poverty in Gaza Hits "Unprecedented" Level | IPS (25.07.08)

In both the West Bank and Gaza, young people aged 15 to 24 are the most likely of any group to be unemployed, while the number of households in Gaza below the poverty line has reached an historic high of nearly 52%, according to a new report by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

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Fact Sheet: Poverty in South Africa | South African Regional Poverty Network (2004)

the proportion of people living in poverty in South Africa has not changed significantly between 1996 and 2001. However, those households living in poverty have sunk deeper into poverty and the gap between rich and poor has widened.

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African Agriculture Uprooted by Economic Policies | IPS (18.06.08)

People across Africa have taken to the streets in recent months to demand that their most basic need be met: access to food. The various states in which these protests have taken place, however, have reacted swiftly and brutally.

Tags: Africa, economics, agriculture, food, poverty, globalisation, WTO, tariff on 2008-06-19 -All Annotations (0) -About

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Hunger: Warum ein Wohlstandsausgleich überfällig ist | Stefan Gosepath in Die Zeit (12.06.08)

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wir teilen alle ein Wirtschaftssystem. Und in dem Maß, wie wir darin einen Gutteil unseres Geldes verdienen, übernehmen wir für die Verlierer eine Mitverantwortung. Und weil das von uns gewollte Wirtschaftssystem bestimmte Gruppen ausbeutet oder ihnen den Zugang zum Markt verwehrt, tragen wir Mitschuld an ihrer Armut.
ZEIT: Es gibt Nächstenliebe, keine Fernstenliebe.

Gosepath: Es geht nicht um Liebe, es geht um moralische Pflichten. Du sollst helfen – diese Pflicht gilt weltweit. Immanuel Kant hat uns klargemacht, dass es ein Gebot ist, anderen Menschen, die unverschuldet in Not gekommen sind, zu helfen.
Das Bild von Siegern und Verlierern ist unangebracht. Sieger und Verlierer gibt es im Sport, aber dort gibt es faire Startbedingungen, und jeder lässt sich freiwillig auf das Spiel ein. Die Globalisierungsverlierer hingegen haben sich die Spielregeln nicht selbst ausgesucht, und das »Spiel« ist auch nicht fair, denn die Chancen sind ungleich verteilt.
ZEIT: Wirtschaft hat nichts mit Moral zu tun.

Gosepath: So denken leider viele. Sie glauben, die Ökonomie sei himmelweit von unserem sonstigen moralischen Leben unterschieden. Ganz falsch ist diese Sicht ja nicht. Wenn der Ökonom Hayek sagt, die Wirtschaft sei nicht gerecht, dann stimmt das. Doch daraus folgt kein Freibrief, der Markt ist nichts Naturwüchsiges. Wir müssen die Bedingungen bestimmen, unter denen er sich entfaltet.
ZEIT: Ihre Moral ist die westliche Moral.

Gosepath: Klar, der Einwand kommt immer. Die Menschenrechte haben sich längst zum globalen moralischen Standard entwickelt. Für alle Kulturen ist der Mensch ein verletzliches Wesen mit bestimmten Schutzbedürfnissen.
Die EU, aber auch die USA subventionieren viele ihrer Produkte und verhindern fairen Wettbewerb. Plötzlich gilt die marktliberale Logik nicht mehr. Wir erheben Importzölle, um unsere Industrie zu schützen. Das ist schon nach unseren eigenen Kriterien unfair.
ZEIT: Aber die UN repräsentieren die Weltgesellschaft nur sehr unvollständig.

Gosepath: Deshalb sollten die Stimmrechte im Sicherheitsrat neu verteilt und mehr Mitglieder aufgenommen werden. Auch müssten die UN ihr Aufgabenfeld erweitern, denn die Themen Klima und Gerechtigkeit sind überlebenswichtig.
Viele G8-Mitglieder sprechen anderen Organisationen gern die Regelungskompetenz ab, während sie selbst alles bis ins kleinste Detail steuern. Also: Nicht transnationale Regelungen sind das Problem. Das Problem ist, wer die Regeln setzt. Es ist unfair, wenn acht Länder den Rest der Welt regieren.
Man muss Bildung und Ernährung koppeln und Lebensmittel in Schulen verteilen. Und dann müssen wir aufhören, korrupte Regime zu fördern. Es ist absurd, dass Despoten Kredite aufnehmen dürfen, um sie privat zu verschwenden, während ihr Volk dafür haftet.
Ich rede nicht von einem Weltstaat, sondern von Weltinnenpolitik. Wenn ein Weltstaat despotisch wird, gibt es keine Fluchtmöglichkeit mehr. Lange Zeit sah es so aus, als gebe es nur die Alternative Weltstaat oder Staatenbund. Heute sieht man, dass Herrschaft nicht mehr nur an den Einzelstaat gekoppelt ist, sondern sich internationalisiert. Es gibt die EU, die WTO, die OECD und so weiter.
Es ist für die Einzelstaaten zu einer zentralen Aufgabe geworden, bei der richtigen Internationalisierung von Herrschaft mitzumachen.

The Roots of 'Necklacing': Why White Farmers in Zimbabwe Are Responsible for the Killings in South Africa | Gary Brecher, AlterNet (05.06.08)

South Africans wouldn't be killing Zimbabwean refugees if it weren't for the stranglehold Zimbabwe's whites have on its farmland.

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South Africa Migrants Sent To Camps | Al Jazeera (02.06.08)

The South African authorities have begun moving nearly 10,000 immigrants, forced out by xenophobic violence, into camps on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

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Debunking the food crisis | John Horvath, TP (01.06.08)

the problem doesn't have to do with the simple economic equation of supply and demand; while the cost of food has been rising sharply around the world there also has been a parallel increase in the amount of food being produced; ineffective trade policies, market speculation, and the rising cost of energy, namely oil

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World Bank Unveils $1.2Bn Food Plan | Al Jazeera English (30.05.08)

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South Africa Unrest 'Under Control' | Al Jazeera English (27.05.08)

Authorities in Mozambique say 26,000 nationals have returned home to flee the violence, and Malawi on Monday announced plans to evacuate 3,000 of its citizens from South Africa.

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Mbeki Condemns S Africa Violence | Al Jazeera (26.05.08)

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UN human rights council calls for realization of right to food | Xinhua (23.05.08)

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Food Outlook | UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (May 2008)

Food import costs to the world's poorest nations are set to rise by 40 per cent in 2008 on the previous year

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UN: Food Costs Hitting World's Poor | Al Jazeera (23.05.08)

Food import costs to the world's poorest nations are set to rise by 40 per cent in 2008 on the previous year, a report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says.

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IkamvaYouth | The future is in our hands.

Ikamva Lisezandleni Zethu, a South African Non-profit organization focussed on the empowerment of youth through education, e-literacy training and career guidance.

Tags: Southafrica, Cape_Town, poverty, ngo, Capetown on 2008-05-23 -All Annotations (0) -About

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Multinationals make billions in profit out of growing global food crisis | Independent (04.05.08)

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Hohe Lebensmittelpreise: Weltbank warnt vor Verarmung ganzer Landstriche | SPIEGEL (10.04.08)

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Chalmers Johnson on the Myth of Free Trade

A new book , "Bad Samaritans" by Ha-Joon Chang, on disastrous trade policies makes it clear that it's time to dismantle the barriers that keep so much of the world so poor.

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“Bad Samaritans,” “people in the rich countries who preach free markets and free trade to the poor countries in order to capture larger shares of the latter’s markets and preempt the emergence of possible competitors
the manufacturing powerhouse of today, with a 2004 per capita income of $13,980. South Korea did not get there by following the advice of the Bad Samaritans.
Neoliberalism (sometimes called the “Washington Consensus") is a rerun of what economists suffering from “historical amnesia” believe were the key characteristics of the international economy in the golden age of liberalism (1870-1913).
“Golden Straitjacket,”
privatizing state-owned enterprises, maintaining low inflation, shrinking the size of the state bureaucracy, balancing the national budget, liberalizing trade, deregulating foreign investment, making the currency freely convertible, reducing corruption, and privatizing pensions. It is called neoliberalism because of its acceptance of rich-country monopolies over intellectual property rights (patents, copyrights, etc.), the granting to a country’s central bank of a monopoly to issue bank notes, and its assertion that political democracy is conducive to economic growth, none of which were parts of classical liberalism.
the histories of today’s rich countries contradict virtually all the Golden Straitjacket dicta, many of which are logically a result rather than a cause of economic growth (for example, trade liberalization)
All of today’s rich countries used protection and subsidies to encourage their manufacturing industries, and they discriminated powerfully against foreign investors.

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Escaping the Poverty Trap: On the Chronic Poverty Report 2008-09 | IPS

Increased Foreign Investment Will Not Lift All Boats | IPS (05.08.08.)

Trade in Africa: Exports Are the Best Way to Develop | Stephanie Nieuwoudt, IPS (04.08.08)

Poverty in Gaza Hits "Unprecedented" Level | IPS (25.07.08)

Fact Sheet: Poverty in South Africa | South African Regional Poverty Network (2004)

African Agriculture Uprooted by Economic Policies | IPS (18.06.08)

Hunger: Warum ein Wohlstandsausgleich überfällig ist | Stefan Gosepath in Die Zeit (12.06.08)

The Roots of 'Necklacing': Why White Farmers in Zimbabwe Are Responsible for the Killings in South Africa | Gary Brecher, AlterNet (05.06.08)

South Africa Migrants Sent To Camps | Al Jazeera (02.06.08)

Debunking the food crisis | John Horvath, TP (01.06.08)

World Bank Unveils $1.2Bn Food Plan | Al Jazeera English (30.05.08)

South Africa Unrest 'Under Control' | Al Jazeera English (27.05.08)

Mbeki Condemns S Africa Violence | Al Jazeera (26.05.08)

UN human rights council calls for realization of right to food | Xinhua (23.05.08)

Food Outlook | UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (May 2008)

UN: Food Costs Hitting World's Poor | Al Jazeera (23.05.08)

IkamvaYouth | The future is in our hands.

Multinationals make billions in profit out of growing global food crisis | Independent (04.05.08)

Hohe Lebensmittelpreise: Weltbank warnt vor Verarmung ganzer Landstriche | SPIEGEL (10.04.08)

Chalmers Johnson on the Myth of Free Trade

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