causes of poverty
 

[B]what are the causes of poverty?
Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament? Have they been lazy, made poor decisions, and been responsible for this condition? What about their governments?[/B]

In my views poverty means people who are living life without apporach to the things which are required for the standard of life.

Main Causes of Poverty
Government: Government play an important role in implementing the economic policy of the countary.
If the policy of the government is some thing else than removing poverty from the countary poverty will exists.It is upto the government how to utilize its resourses and how to keep the economy stable.

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No poor people cannot be blame for its poorness actually man by it self does not want to remain idle and stable he is by nature made to do some things
it is now upto his envirement how to act and react to daily events.
If some one is responsible for the poorness of people it is only the government of the countary why they are not providing the envirement for work and educate people to to earn for himself and work for the economic development of there countary

[B]Some Facts[/B][INDENT][LIST][*]Almost half the world — over 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.[*]The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 richest people combined.[*]Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.[*]Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.[*]1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day).[/LIST][CENTER][IMG]http://static.globalissues.org/i/poverty/wdi-2008/2005-poverty-levels-bar.png[/IMG]

[B]In 2005, the wealthiest 20% of the world accounted for 76.6% of total private consumption. The poorest fifth just 1.5%:[/B]

[CENTER][IMG]http://static.globalissues.org/i/poverty/wdi-2008/consumption-inequality-2005-pie.png[/IMG]



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[/INDENT][CENTER][CENTER][CENTER][LEFT][B]Causes of Poverty[/B]
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[LEFT] Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament? Have they been lazy, made poor decisions, and been solely responsible for their plight? What about their governments? Have they pursued policies that actually harm successful development? Such causes of poverty and inequality are no doubt real. But deeper and more global causes of poverty are often less discussed.

Behind the increasing interconnectedness promised by globalization are [B]global decisions, policies, and practices[/B]. These are typically influenced, driven, or formulated by the rich and powerful. These can be leaders of rich countries or other global actors such as multinational corporations, institutions, and influential people.

In the face of such enormous external influence, the governments of poor nations and their people are often powerless. As a result, in the global context, a few get wealthy while the majority struggle.
[/LEFT]

[LEFT][B]Source and Further Reading[/B]
[url]http://www.globalissues.org/issue/2/causes-of-poverty[/url]
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Poverty
 

Poverty can be defined by lookin at the conditions in which people live. Poverty also have different standars simply as in third world countries people who did nt have basic necessities of life are considered to be poor. There is no single root cause of poverty but the major one's are related to government such as bad policy making, mismangement etc.

Causes of poverty
 

[B][I]i think causes of poverty are: 1. unemployment, 2. wrong policies, 3. and one man who has a large family can not remove even thirst then food. it means (overpopulatioin) look forward to Thomas Robert Malthus Theory.

Regards
Azhar Hussain Memon [/I][/B]

Government as well as individuals are responsible for rampant poverty and it can by eradicated by the efforts at both levels. I append below the major causes at both levels.

A-At Governmental level


1- Inadequate infrastructure
2- Insufficient employment opportunities
3- Absence of quality education
4- Political instability
5- Ever rising Inflation
6- Increasing Interest Rates
7- Inadequate Developmental activities
8- Excessive Non Developmental expenses
9-Red Tape
10- Corruption
11- Insufficient Foreign and Domestic Investment
12-Profit Oriented and Un regularized Private sector


B-Individual Level
1-Lack of Motivation and Enthusiasm
2-Non Pursuance of Quality Education
3-Lack of awareness
4- Lack of Entrepreneurship

[COLOR=Blue][B]Pakistan is a poor country. Its economy is facing fluctuations now a day. At the time of independence Pakistan has very low resources and capital, so the processes of progress were very slow. Unfortunately the politicians of Pakistan were all not well aware of modern global system and the progress processes and the needs of country. Due to bad policies today Pakistan is facing a lot of problems. The continuous failure of policies leads the people of country to miserable conditions. The major problem in the country is poverty which is becoming the cause of crime and social disorder.

It is difficult to point out all causes of poverty in Pakistan but the major causes of are given below:
[COLOR=Purple]
1: Government Policies:[/COLOR]

Government is not well aware of present conditions of country. The policies of government are base on the suggestions of officials which do not have awareness about the problems of a common man. After implementation the policies do not get effective result. After the failure of one policy, government does not consider its failure and announces another policy without studying the aftermaths of last one. Heavy taxes and unemployment crushes the people and they are forced to live below poverty line. The suitable medical facilities are not provided to people and they are forced to get treatment for private clinics which are too costly.

[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=Blue][B][COLOR=Purple]2: Lack of Education:[/COLOR]

The literacy rate of Pakistan is very low. Most of people do not have any concept about the modern earning sources. Most people are unable to adopt technology for their business needs, that’s why business do not meet international standards and results as decrease in revenue which lead the society to poor financial conditions.A large portion of the population in Pakistan is uneducated and unaware about their capabilities.[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=Blue][B]
[COLOR=Purple]3: Corruption:[/COLOR]

Another cause of poverty is corruption. There are two types of corruption. There is not morality and every one is trying to earn more and more by using fair and unfair means. Officials waste their time has low efficiency. Only one relationship that is exists in society is money. One has to pay a heavy cost to get his right. Law and order conditions are out of control and institutions are failed to provide justice to a common man. Justice can be bought by money only. But government is unable to control such type of things. In this whole scenario some corrupt people has been occupying the resources and common man is living in miserable conditions.

[COLOR=Purple] 4: Division of Agricultural Land:[/COLOR]

Pakistan is an agricultural country. Most of people are farmers by profession. One has land which is fulfilling the needs of his family but he has to divide the land into his children when they got young. After division the land is not sufficient to support a family. Now the families of his children are suffering and spending their lives below poverty line.

[COLOR=Purple]5: Problem of income:[/COLOR]
[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=Blue][B]A number of people in Pakistan are living their lives without realizing their income and expenditure thus unable to strike a balance between these.[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=Blue][B]The rate of individual income in Pakistan is very low. A man on the street hardly gets his truly need fulfilled within his income.[/B][/COLOR]

[B][COLOR=Blue]The unemployment in Pakistan is the greatest cause of poverty. The resources of Pakistan are underdeveloped and the chances for the employment are very rare than the rate of population.[/COLOR][/B]
[B][COLOR=Blue]The rate of population in Pakistan is very high, the burden of a big family is on the shoulders of a single individual.[/COLOR][/B]
[B][COLOR=Blue]There are very less chances of establishing small business in Pakistan with little capital.[/COLOR][/B]
[B][COLOR=Blue]They don't even get loan on easy terms from banks.[/COLOR][/B]
[B][COLOR=Blue]The high prices of the commodities do not leave a common man to arrange himself for progress and thus the culture of saving is diminishing.[/COLOR][/B]
[COLOR=Blue][B]
[COLOR=Purple] 6: Materialism:[/COLOR]

In our society social bonding are gradually becomes thinner and thinner. A race of material object has been started even no one tried to understand the problems of others. Every one is gradually changing from human to a bioman which only know about his needs and have no concept about the limitations of others. People are not ready to help each other. At last every one has lose his trust on others which effect our social and economic system and it is another cause of poverty.

[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=Purple][B]7: Poor Governance:[/B][/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=Blue]It must be recognized and held that poor governance is the key underlying cause of poverty in Pakistan. Poor governance has not only enhanced vulnerability, but is the prime cause of low business confidence, which in turn translates into lower investment levels and growth. Governance problems have also resulted in inefficiency in provision of social services, which has had serious implications for human development in the country.

[/COLOR][/B][COLOR=Blue][B][COLOR=Purple]8: Large Scale Import:[/COLOR]

The import of Pakistan is greater than export. Big revenue is consumed in importing good every year, even raw material has to import for industry. If we decrease import and establish own supply chains from our country natural resources the people will have better opportunities to earn.

[COLOR=Purple]9: Law and Order:[/COLOR]

There are lot of problems regarding law and order. Terrorist attacks create uncertainty in stock markets and people earning from stock are getting loss due to which the whole country faces uncertain increase in commodity prices.


[/B][/COLOR][B][FONT=Times New Roman][B][COLOR=Purple]10[SIZE=4]: Poverty and gender:[/SIZE]

[/COLOR][/B][/FONT][/B] [B][COLOR=Blue]The gender discriminatory practices in Pakistani society also shape the distribution of poverty in the country. Traditional gender roles in Pakistan define the woman's place as in the home and not in the workplace, and define the man as the breadwinner. Consequently, the society invests far less in women than men. Women in Pakistan suffer from poverty of opportunities throughout their lives. Female literacy in Pakistan is 41.75% compared to Male literacy at 66.25%. In legislative bodies, women constituted less than 3% of the legislature elected on general seats before 2002. The 1973 Constitution allowed reserved seats for women in both houses of parliament for a period of 20 years, thus ensuring that women would be represented in parliament regardless of whether or not they are elected on general seats. This provision lapsed in 1993, so parliaments elected subsequently did not have reserved seats for women. Reserved seats for women have been restored after the election of 2002. Female labour rates in Pakistan are exceptionally low.[/COLOR][/B]
[B][COLOR=Blue]All this, coupled with the rise of [URL="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Honor_killing"]honor killings[/URL] against women, a legal system that is regarded as misogynistic, and the intransigent denial of these problems by the Pakistan government, as well as their institutionalized harassment of women's rights groups operating in the country, contribute to the deteriorating situation with women and the rise in their poverty.[/COLOR][/B]

[COLOR=Purple][B]11: Feudalism:[/B][/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=Blue]Pakistan is home to a large [URL="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Feudal"]feudal[/URL] landholding system where landholding families hold thousands of acres and do little work on the [URL="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Agriculture"]agriculture[/URL][/COLOR][/B][URL="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Serfs"][B]themselves. They enlist the services of their [/B][/URL][B][COLOR=Blue][URL="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Serfs"]serfs[/URL] to perform the labor of the land. 51% of poor tenants owe money to the landlords. The landlords' position of power allows them to exploit the only resource the poor can possibly provide: their own labor.[/COLOR] [/B]
[COLOR=Blue][B]
[COLOR=Purple]12:Fluctuated Foreign investment::[/COLOR]

Foreign investor comes to local markets. They invest millions of dollars in stock markets and stock market gets rise in index. Then the investor withdraws his money with profit and market suddenly collapses. The after math always be faced by poor people.

[COLOR=Purple]13: Privatization:[/COLOR]

Government is unable to manage the departments and country has low reserve assets. So the meet the requirements some companies run by government are sold to foreign investors. The commodities or services provided by the companies are becoming costly. For example if government sold a gas plant then prices for gas in country rises.

[COLOR=Purple]14: Moral Culture:[/COLOR]

The main reason for poverty is the social dishonesty and irresponsible behavior of people. Every one is trying to get rich by using unfair means. A shop keeper is ready to get whole money from the pocket of customer. People doing jobs are not performing their duties well. In society the man considered brave or respectful who do not pay taxes or continuously violate the laws. This irresponsible behavior continuously increases and produces loss for county.

[COLOR=Black]And lots many other causes for that,we can't blame any one to be the only reason of poverty....[/COLOR]

[/B][/COLOR]

Asian Development Bank - Report
 

[B][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Poverty in Pakistan: Issues, Causes, and Institutional Responses[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

AoA[B]

[/B]The linked file contains a comprehensive report on Poverty in Pakistan by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][SIZE=-1]This report describes the trends and key features of poverty in Pakistan, discusses its main causes, outlines existing programs and initiatives to reduce poverty, and gives a set of strategic options for ADB.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[url]http://www.adb.org/documents/reports/poverty_pak/poverty.pdf[/url]

Dear All,

I would appreciate if someone may also share the measures taken by which poverty can be reduced.

Thank You,