Campaigners have long proposed measures to reduce extreme inequality, but policymakers remain fixated on an economic model that threatens to undermine the fabric of society. When will the political elite heed the growing demands for redistribution that are being voiced in countless reports, books and public protests?
The World Bank's latest data suggests a decline in global poverty throughout every region of the developing world, as well as the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goal on halving poverty well ahead of schedule. But is this really the 'good news' that we are led to believe? By Adam Parsons.
An internationally coordinated effort to secure universal social protection may not address the structural factors which make people vulnerable to poverty, but it could represent a major step forward in the fight against needless suffering and deprivation, argues Adam Parsons.
Growing global inequality presents a major obstacle in the
fight against poverty. Redistributing resources more fairly requires a greater
cooperation between governments that eschews the current ‘cut-throat’ nature of
international free trade competition, says Justin Frewen.
Expert panellists and film director Philippe Diaz discuss
the structural causes of poverty and suggest possible solutions at the UK premiere of ‘The End of
Poverty?’ on 12th December 2009. The event was coordinated by STWR and the British Film Institute (BFI).
The economic freedom promised through the
liberalisation of market forces has, in reality, resulted in a freedom for the
very few and a contradiction of the promise that increased
wealth will be shared - demanding a reframing of the concepts of 'democracy' and 'human rights', says Adam W. Parsons.
The World Bank's latest poverty figures underline
the fact that globalisation has been largely ineffective at either reducing the
burgeoning ranks of the world's poor, or including this vast swathe of the
global population into the mainstream economy, writes Adam W. Parsons.