The Roots Of Poverty
Remedying only the superficial manifestations of the deeper
underlying problems of extreme poverty will never end poverty
itself. At best, this approach will temporarily relieve urgent
problems; at worst, it will exacerbate them or create long-term
trade-off problems. If we want to eliminate poverty, we must
look at its roots and apply sustainable, pragmatic development
solutions.
There are many popular misconceptions about underdeveloped
countries that prevent both politicians and private citizens
from seriously considering solutions. Some people think less
developed countries (LDCs) are poor as the result of laziness,
mismanagement, and corruption. While corruption and
mismanagement do play a role in the inefficient and criminal
diversion of aid funds, they definitely do not make it
impossible to conduct successful development operations--unless,
of course, we use corrupt regimes as a justification to not give
aid at all.
So what are some of the common root causes of poverty? Each of
the following roots of poverty can be eliminated through
development projects when they bypass government involvement or
develop mutual-accountability agreements with governments to
ensure the best results for the program constituents:
Geographic Isolation:
Geographic isolation actually occurs on two levels: 1) within
regions and continents; and 2) within countries. The first type
of geographic isolation generally includes countries that are
landlocked hundreds of miles away from the closest port. These
countries end up paying excessive fees and costs for freight to
export and import goods. The other type of isolation--that
occurs within countries-- generally includes villages that are
separated from the rest of the country because of a lack of
infrastructure. These villages typically lack electricity,
adequate food markets, and adequate sources of clean water.
Inadequate Access to Medical Clinics:
Most citizens of the Third World lack access to medical clinics
and basic medical counseling. This is generally because
governments in LDCs do not have enough resources to sponsor
sufficient medical programs. Many LDCs also lack medical
professionals as a result of underfunded educational systems.
When people cannot visit clinics regularly, they do not get the
counseling they need to prevent illness and often end up
incapacitated by easily- curable illnesses and parasites, such
as worms.
Underfunded Education:
Many citizens of the Third World also lack access to education.
Since governments in LDCs do not have funds to provide an
educational system for all students, they often create
unreasonably hard standardized testing systems to prevent
students from graduating; and even when they do pass the tests,
they are often held back because there simply are not enough
resources to support them. Without access to basic and
vocational education, new generations in LDCs are being severely
limited in both future choices and ability to contribute to the
country