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Liberalism has brought sharp reductions in both poverty and international inequality. The past half-century can be seen as a long exploration of the power of liberal trade to raise living standards, not only in the rich world but among the poor too. The story begins with the growth that took place in western Europe, North America, Australasia and Japan once the two great scourges of economic activity--war and trade restrictions--were removed after 1945. The rest of the world--communist, socialist, or just plain poor--also grew, but more slowly: at 2.2% a year on average, or a threefold rise in income per head. Thus the gap between "the West and the rest", as Angus Maddison, an economic historian, described it in an OECD report in 2002 from which these figures are taken, has been widening. Though it does little to promote democracy, China is proving a spur to economic liberalization in other developing countries: fear that its growth will steal their markets or investment is prompting others to copy its reforms and to adopt international trade rules by joining the World Trade Organization.

The article reports that the middle class in Brazil has grown significantly since 2002. Brazil was previously known for the wide gap between its rich and poor populations, but in 2008 the middle class rose to more than half the nation's population. People in Brazil put a high value on status symbols and spend large percentages of their income on fashion and brand name products seen on television shows.

The article reports that the United Nations (UN) is focusing its attention on finance for the poor. In the next 12 months the spotlight falls on microfinance, the business of lending small amounts of money to the poor, taking deposits from them, transmitting money on their behalf and insuring them. No good data exist on how many people have access to financial institutions, the breadth and penetration of banks in poor countries, the real cost of a loan and the time it takes to get one, the ease of making a deposit and so forth. There is not even convincing information, beyond lots of anecdotes illustrated by photographs of women in rural villages, about whether microfinance makes any significant contribution to economic growth or is merely another philanthropic fad. The UN would do well to address the common complaint that banks ignore the poor out of class bias. If they do, the UN's interest may hasten change: some financial institutions are already making efforts to work with the poor, either directly or by providing wholesale services to smaller financial institutions.

Comments on United States contributions to global economic development. Impact on the U.S. of an impoverished country collapsing; View that the U.S. should pledge assistance of at least 0.3 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP); How the U.S. compares to other countries in providing aid to poor countries; Guidelines suggested for U.S. investment in foreign policy.

The article discusses survey data from the United National Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in 2015 which indicates that the poverty rate in the region has remained around 28 percent of the population over the past three years, and it mentions that social progress has stopped in the area. Stalled economic growth in Latin America is mentioned, along with the World Bank and initiatives for poor people such as Brazil's Bolsa Família and Chile Solidario.

The article looks at the connection between natural disasters and poverty in Pakistan. Natural disasters including a 2005 earthquake, a 2010 flood, and a 2011 monsoon are mentioned. The low government tax rate's impact on raising charity donations is considered. The author posits that these disasters have a relatively small effect on Pakistan's economic growth because they typically affect the poorest people in the country, whose contribution to the gross domestic product is negligible.

The article focuses on the effects of mobile money and cellular telephones on poor people in developing countries. The article reports that mobile phones have a direct impact on economic growth in poor countries and that mobile-money services such as M-PESA can be used on mobile phones. The article suggests that mobile money is a safer and faster way to transfer money in Africa and Asia.

The article questions why poor democracies are not better at ending poverty. India, unlike China, is a vibrant democracy with a proudly robust habit of turfing lousy governments out of office. Yet, in poverty reduction, at least, China's unelected leaders have done better. A book by Bimal Jalan, a leading Indian economist and former governor of the central bank, lists some of the woes afflicting Indian politics, such as the rise of small parties, the dwindling of inner-party democracy and the shrinking role of Parliament in ensuring accountability. In poverty-reduction, as in growth, India is typical of other developing-country democracies, having achieved steady but not spectacular success. The relationship between caste and class helps explain the wide regional discrepancies in India.

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.