Causes of poverty
Poverty is a multifaceted and pervasive issue affecting societies around the globe, characterized by a lack of essential resources and opportunities.
Behavioral, structural, and political theories help explain poverty's persistence, while philosophical and historical perspectives, including both micro and macro-level factors, provide additional insights.
Unemployment and low wages create financial instability, while economic inequality hinders access to essential services and limits social mobility.
Poor social welfare policies and corruption hinder economic development, while wars disrupt economies and displace populations.
[33][34] According to Wacquant, this situation follows the implementation of other neoliberal policies, which have allowed for the retrenchment of the social welfare state and the rise of punitive workfare, whilst increasing gentrification of urban areas, privatization of public functions, the shrinking of collective protections for the working class via economic deregulation and the rise of underpaid, precarious wage labor.
As a result of those strategies, some critical markers indicative of poverty show promise, such as decreased child mortality, promoted gender parity, practiced micro-credit, and a vibrant non-governmental sector in place.
[37] Notwithstanding, some notable causes of poverty that Bangladesh is fighting against include remnants of inequality, burdened healthcare costs, poor governance at multiple levels, inadequate sanitation, and limited access to safe drinking water.
However, approximately 17 percent of the population was living on less than $6.85 per day (in 2017 PPP terms) which is what the World Bank considered the Upper-Middle-Income poverty line in 2021.
[40] The causes of poverty in China revolve around: Haiti, regarded as "the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere", has a GDP (per capita) of about US$797, as reported in 2019.
[42] The causes of poverty in Haiti have been rooted in "institutional and political instability" that chronically suffocate the growth of its social and economic sectors.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has also rendered support in re-vitalizing Haiti's economy in the areas of "energy, beverage [production], garment manufacturing, financial markets, and hospitality.
[42] Thus, overall, promising results are being observed in the sectors of education, health, better access to safe drinking water, energy production, agriculture and transport.
[50][51] Vladimir Putin is promoting a program aims to reduce poverty in the face of economic difficulties due to international sanctions.
[53] Major causes of poverty, precipitated by a history of apartheid, involve disparities in the distribution of resources, coupled with poor educational opportunities.
In response to these challenges, South Africa initiated the so-called Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to participate in job creation and promoting equitable policies in employment practices.
[61] In retrospect, countries, all over the world, injected vast monetary resources into social programs to mitigate the financial woes associated with the pandemic.
