Jason Hickel: Exposing the great ‘poverty reduction’ scandal

[LuckyTheDog]

The received wisdom comes to us from every direction: poverty rates are declining and extreme poverty will soon be eradicated from the face of the earth. This narrative is delivered by the World Bank, the governments of rich countries, and – most importantly – the UN Millennium Development Campaign. Relax, they tell us. The world is getting better, thanks to the spread of free market capitalism and Western aid. Development is working, and soon, one day in the very near future, poverty will be no more.

It’s a comforting story, but unfortunately it’s just not true. Poverty is not disappearing as quickly as they say. In fact, according to some measures, poverty has been getting significantly worse. If we are to be serious about eradicating poverty, we need to cut through the sugarcoating and face up to some hard facts.

False accounting

The most powerful expression of the poverty reduction narrative comes from the Millennium Development Campaign. Building on the Millennium Declaration of 2000, the Campaign’s main goal has been to cut global poverty in half by 2015 – an objective that it proudly claims to have achieved ahead of schedule. But if we look beyond the celebratory rhetoric, it becomes clear that this claim is deeply misleading.

MORE HERE: http://wonkynewsnerd.com/exposing-the-great-poverty-reduction-scandal/

[truedelphi]

1. It is the same story abroad as it is here. The top five percent or so are

Gaining wealth beyond their dreams.

But those that are not of that persuasion are in big trouble.

Look at what has happened in India in terms of Monsanto and the cotton crop. The Indian farmers were told to buy the GM cotton seed,a s it would be more plentiful than anything imaginable.

instead, the crops did not produce. Often the plants were sickly.

And even should the cotton harvest be decent, the contracts the farmers signed force them to avoid saving the seeds.

Huge numbers of the poorest farmers committed suicide.

But the USA's government is now putting a FDA office over there. Any young Indian with the right background, college degree in hand, can find work inside the labyrinth of government to industry and back again jobs.

And with the executives making hundreds of thousands of dollars, it is a gravy train. Except for most Indian people!

[LuckyTheDog]

2. Capitalism is failing the world

Something has to give.