Search

The article reports on the increase in number of people who were classified as poor in Egypt despite the mission of the Egyptian government to halve poverty by 2020 and eliminate it by 2030. Topics covered include official poverty line set by the Egyptian government, economic reforms introduced by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi with loans provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), how reforms led to increase in household expenditures and the limited cash-transfer schemes for the poor.

Focuses on the government of Bolivia. Suggestion that President Carlos Mesa's government is looking increasingly fragile; Why the country is facing a climate of violence over such issues as oil and gas; Protests over water supplies; How the public mood changed following a regional recession; Concerns of the U.S. over discontent in Bolivia; View that Bolivia's retreat from its reforms is unlikely to help its poor majority; Outlook for fresh political conflicts.

The author argues that government regulations are increasing the costs associated with sending money to the world's poor as of 2015, and it mentions capital flow statistics for 2000 to 2014, as well as remittances sent home by migrant workers from places such as India and the Philippines. The World Bank and remittance-related reform measures are examined, as well as anti-money-laundering regulations and the Financial Action Task Force inter-governmental entity.

Discusses the attitude towards reforms related to the benefits of sick and poor in Great Britain. Rise in the spending on benefits for the sick and disabled in the past 20 years; Stance of Great Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair on welfare; Expectation that the Labor Party would vote against government proposals to reform disability benefits; Rise in the number of people claiming some sort of disability benefits; View that the government's principles are misplaced; Sensitivity of reform politicians; Advantages and handicap of the Labor government; Change in strategy.

Declares that U.S. President Bill Clinton has said he would sign away the federal guarantee of welfare to poor families that has existed since 1935. Reasons behind the welfare program; Information that poor Americans to get help only for limited periods; Impact of reforms on single mothers and children in the country who depend on the existing system; President's declaration that the existing system encourages a cycle of dependency; Argument on the political risk associated in the president's decision; Polls suggesting that most Americans dislike the welfare system.

The article comments on the views of Jeffrey Sachs, head of the United Nations "Millennium Project". Mr Sachs admits that foreign aid has not achieved much in the past. Development aid has failed to stimulate much development. Lavishly aided countries have grown no faster than those that have been neglected. This is one reason why rich countries refuse to give much. Though most have promised to donate 0.7% of gross national income, the average for the richest 22 countries is 0.25%. David Dollar and Lant Pritchett, among others, have dug up solid evidence that aid, when directed towards poor countries with sound economic policies and competent institutions, tends to accelerate growth and lift people out of poverty. In a study published earlier this year, Mr Sachs looks at tropical sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty seems most intractable, and challenges the popular idea that this is mostly down to poor governance. He cites other obstacles to Africa's growth, such as its extraordinary disease burden, the lack of deep ports and navigable rivers, the infertility of much of its soil and the colonial legacy of borders that slice the continent into lots of tiny nations with negligible markets and too little sense of nationhood to remain stable. Mr Sachs envisages funnelling most of the money through national governments, who would have to train many more teachers, engineers, nurses and other professionals, and then persuade the best of them not to emigrate to rich countries. Mr Sachs's grand plan depends on there being plenty of governments in poor countries that are clean and competent enough to be entrusted with a sudden infusion of free money.

Reports that the world's financial leaders have gathered in Madrid, Spain for the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to debate about the world's poor continues. Mandate of the World Bank is to alleviate poverty in poor countries; Intention of the IMF to help countries out of financial difficulties; Study conducted by Elliot Berg, an American development economist, which suggests that life for the world's poor may not have deteriorated during the 1980s; Study on Latin America conducted by Oxfam, a British charity, which suggests that after a decade of structural adjustment, and despite economic growth, more people than ever are living in poverty.