What are the Chief Causes of Poverty in the World

The world as we know it has immense resources to sustain the entire population adequately. However, the
gap between the richest and the poorest countries has been widening from 3 to 1 in 1820 to 72 to 1 in
1992. Therefore, it can be stated that in the world today there are two categories of countries the rich
and the poor. There are many issues involved when looking at global poverty. They include the
exploitation of the poor countries by the rich, the economy, the instability of governments, over-
population and the mentality of the people.

Exploitation of the poor by the rich is one cause of poverty in a country and the world. For example,
within a country, it serves the purpose of the powerful to control the poor by maintaining a low minimum
wage which would affect all levels of the individuals life and therefore would not be able to improve the
standard of living. Similarly, there is exploitation of poor countries by the richer ones. This pattern is seen
throughout history from medieval times to the colonization of the Third World by rich countries. The
exploitation now comes in the form of unfair trade policies, which leads to persistent poverty.

Also, if the administration of a countrys economy is mis-managed, then that country will be poor. For
instance, most of the poor countries have no industrial base for their economy and depend on traditional
methods of agriculture. This means that there is no use of fertilizers or mechanical farming. Their yield
would be small and prices would be kept at a minimum in order to compete against others for the market.
If poorer nations are not given sufficient means to produce their own food, if they are not taught to use the
tools of production themselves, then poverty and dependency will continue. In other words give a man a
fish and he would eat for one day, teach a man to fish and he would have food for a lifetime.

Another cause of poverty in the world today is the instability of governments. Politics have led to terrible
conditions in many poor countries because of a combination of successive military governments and the
debts incurred which has kept the country in a state of poverty. Latin America, Nigeria and Indonesia are
examples of this with Latin America having the largest difference in the world between the rich and the
poor. Dictators and other corrupt rulers are often supported by the wealthy elite or by wealthier nations to
help maintain their interests. Also, neither corporations nor nations would want to invest in such an
unstable environment thereby sustaining a stagnant economy.

In addition, overpopulation is another source of poverty in some countries. It can be noted that in poorer
countries, there is little or no control of births. Along with the advancement in medical science, and
increased life expectancy, the population would explode. People may then leave the impoverished part of
the country or world to seek a better way of life. When there are too many people and not enough jobs,
then the crime rate will go up and so will the number of socially displaced individuals. This effectively
causes poverty to spread throughout the region.

Finally, a major reason why poverty exists in the world is the mental attitude of the people. Many people
in Third World countries never believed in themselves because of their history, example slavery, and are
poor in thinking and accept their position in society. In India, because of the caste system, there are
generations of people who have sustained themselves through begging and see no reason to discontinue
the activity. Also, religion has a controlling influence in many poor nations. In Catholic dominated
societies the birth rate is high because the church frowns upon contraception. It is also believed that the
poor would inherit the earth and this adds to their complacency.

To summarize, there are various reasons why countries and people are poor and continue to be so.
Exploitation, political instability, overpopulation and the general mentality of the people are just a few of
the many reasons for the poverty in the world today. The debate will continue as parts of the Third World
still live below the poverty line.