Global Poverty

KEY ISSUES AND FACTS

1. In 2008, The World Bank increased the poverty line from $1 a day to $1.25 a day.

2. "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."

3. "The change in relative prices against urban poor and migrant workers, resulting from the implementation of the Structural Adjustment Programmes, reduced the real income of migrant workers." Even though non-migrant workers earned higher incomes, the poverty profiles of both migrant and non-migrant remain the same. (Nissanke & Thorbecke 2008, p 15)

4. As a result of globalization, more women are entering the job force. However, many are still concentrated in "irregular, low paid and unhealthy precarious work-especially in the informal sectors". ( Kerr 2002, pg 23)

5. The world purchases minerals and "blood diamonds" from warring Sierra Leone without knowledge of its affects on the people.

6. Many nations are forced into global trade before they are socially and economically stable to do so resulting in cheap resources from poor regions. This favors the Western consumers. (Shah 2010, p2)

7. "In 2005, the wealthiest 20% of the world accounted for 76.6% of total private consumption. The poorest fifth just 1.5%."(Environmental Studies- Global Poverty, side 16)

8. "Trade liberation through price transmission affects the welfare of female-headed households as opposed to male-headed household". Study was focused on the impact of tariff reductions in two periods, 1995-2000 and 2000-2004 in Africa. The pattern shows that women tend to allocate their funds to food, child and health care and men towards alcohol and tobacco products. (Nissanke & Thorbecke 2008, p 14)