by Tom Geoffroy

Created on: February 13, 2010   Last Updated: February 15, 2010

A wise person quoted in an ancient script once said, "The poor you will have with you always." Two thousand years later this statement appears to be true. As long as people populate the earth there will always be poverty. This does not mean nothing should be done to try and reduce poverty or mitigate poverties effects.

The Fraser Institute reported on October 16, 2006 that world poverty was cut in half between the years 1970 and 2000. That is a significant improvement. The report also states the areas of the world most impoverished moved from East and South Asia to Africa.

The poverty level was cut in half while the world population increased by fifty percent during the same period. Poverty shifted from one geographic location to another. How did this happen and what can be learned in order to improve the poverty statistics in the future? Here are a few points to ponder.

Stable Government is important:

China and India are the two most populated countries in the world each having over a billion people. They each have different forms of government too. India is the largest democracy in the world and China the largest communist form of government.

In each case they have this in common; they are both stable. Neither country is plagued with civil unrest nor fragile corrupt government practices. Stability is good for a nation’s people even if the form of government is not entirely free.

Capitalism:

Capitalism is a proven way to economic increase. When there are no limits on income, and free business practices exist, people are more likely to thrive economically. In the case of China; even though they have a communist form of government, they are incorporating more and more capitalistic principles in their economy.

Their economy is huge and their people are reaping the benefits of a thriving business environment. China is becoming the largest economy in the world.

Value to the marketplace:

In order for people to climb out of poverty they need to add value to the marketplace. The best way to add value to the marketplace is to be educated. Thirty eight percent of African children do not attend primary school. An uneducated population will never have the ability to rise above poverty. This will be a constant drain on the economy and despair will surely follow.

It is much better to teach someone how to fish rather than give them a fish. If you give them a fish they will eat for a day; teach them to fish and they will eat for a lifetime. Lack of education breeds

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