Is poverty inevitable in any society?

(NJC 2013 COMMON

TEST)- Yongxin
Poverty is commonly defined as the condition in which individuals or
communities are unable to achieve a minimum standard of living. This condition
is often associated with the deprivation in well-being which comprises of many
aspects. Some of these aspects include low levels of health and clean sanitation,
limited access to education and insufficient capabilities and opportunities to
better ones life. Poverty is thus one of the more persistent issues of the
contemporary world today due to the complex relationship between determining
and sustaining the factors of poverty. In hopes of eradicating poverty, many
governments have thus undertaken various efforts such as to increase the
process of mass-production to increase the accessibility to more affordable goods
and improveimproving sanitation systems. Additionally, United Nation member
states and some 20 international organisations have also committed to help
achieve the Millenium Development Goals, which include eradicating extreme
poverty and hunger. Yet, poverty appears to be inevitable because it still persists
in spite of the governmental and international efforts to solve it. Therefore, I
would assert that poverty is inevitable in any society. [While the introduction was
a good indication that you have studied the materials we have covered in the
poverty lesson, you should place more focus on the keyword inevitable. Since
your thesis statement is that poverty is inevitable then you should highlight more
of the constrains faced.
One of the reasons as to why poverty is still a persistent problem in any
society is the tendency towards the over-exploitation of natural resources in
many developing nations. Many developing nations lack the necessary financial
resources to implement sustainable programmes to alleviate the problem of
depletion of precious and limited resources. Therefore, in order to ensure their
survival, many nations may be forced to make use of cheaper alternatives which
may incur hazardous negative externalities. This is a common problem for many
of the Sub-Saharan African countries, in which nearly six out of ten people do not
have access to electricity. Due to inadequate access to energy sources, it has
impeded the ability of one to lead a higher quality and standard of life. A
majority of people in Sub-Saharan Africa would therefore cook using wood due to
the lack of access to electricity. The continuous inhalation of hazardous smoke
can jeopardize the health of many. Additionally, the living areas of many may be
destroyed because burning wood at homes increase the risk of fires. With limited
access to energy, many businesses in the developing nations can thus only
provide limited services. This ultimately impairs the process of job creation which
may lead to further worsening of the poverty problem in the society. [For
examples of countries who practice sustainable development, you can read up
on countries like Iceland and Norway]
Another reason for poverty to still be a persistent problem in any society is
the neglect of the more vulnerable at the expense of many governmental efforts
to achieve higher economic growthWith capitalism as the main economic model
for most developed countries and being the leading model for other developing

countries, it is inevitable that free market policies would result in vulnerable

groups of people being left behind. Economic growth translates to a higher
national income and thus more consumption and spending. Therefore, the fruits
of economic growth can be so attractive that many governments tend to forsake
the improvement of the non-material aspects of living standards of the society
on a whole, such as healthy living environments and improved sanitation
facilities. This is also true in many developed nations as well. Therefore, this
could potentially result in a widening of income gap between the rich and the
poor. In some developed nations, there is an increasing gap between extreme
wealth and the meagre living conditions which can ultimately impair the growth
within the society. For example, in Singapore, the top 10% of households has
incomes of about $10,543 per month, whereas the bottom 10% of households
has incomes of about $422 per month. This is worrying because the income
disparity between a countrys richest and poorest can be so wide and may
eventually hinder growth within the society in the near future. This disparity
hinders the more vulnerable group from moving up the social ladder and from
achieving a better standard of life. Therefore, efforts should also be focused on
those least served, including those hardest to reach and the most vulnerable.
Communities and the more vulnerable groups need to be empowered in order to
secure a better standard of living as well. Many of the poor in society may find
themselves neglected, often living in less pleasant environments which may be
unhealthy and hazardous. With little opportunities available and the lack of
voice, it could worsen the poverty problem in any society, even in developed
nations.
Lastly, poverty is indeed inevitable in any society due to the unavoidable
local governmental corruption. This is worrying because most of the international
aid provided to countries in distress is filtered through the government.
Corruption can be prevalent in both developed and developing nations, which
prevent funds and help from reaching the more vulnerable and less served
groups of people. With possible governmental corruption within a society, people
in need are denied access to the aid intended for them. Instead, some of the aid
from other nations could be tied aid, in which the aid is given under the
condition that part of or all of it must be spent on purchasing goods from the
country providing the aid. This could unintentionally result in the deaths of the
people trapped in poverty because instead of rationalizing the financial aid,
nations are forced to spend it on expensive services and products. This could
potentially worsen the poverty problem of any society in distress as the more
vulnerable groups are left in the lurch to fend for themselves. [You think about
why is there a tendency for governments to be corrupt and is it a difficult
problem to solve? Try including some concrete examples too.]
[It would be good to include one paragraph to say that there has been
substantial improvement in solving poverty but still inevitable ]
On a whole, one of the biggest challenges of today is the narrowing of the
ever enlarged income disparity between the rich and the poor. It is a gargantuan
is not an easy task to make the poor and more vulnerable groups an avoidable

feature in the society. Corruption will continue to worsen the situation of poverty
as help meant for the poor is not provided to them. For economic growth and
progress within a society, governments would tend to neglect the needs of the
poorer groups of people which could result in the worsening of the poverty issue.
Even with international aid, it is rather challenging to ensure that help is reached
to those in need. Hence, poverty may thus be an inevitable feature in any
society.
Good use of materials covered in the poverty lecture.
Score:
Content: 16/30
Language: 13/20
Total: 29/30
Grade: C