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Extreme poverty across the globe has been trending downward since the 1980s − or so goes the general consensus. This belief is based on how many people live on less than $3 per day, based on 2021 values and adjusted across different countries. But a growing body of opinion is finding this metric something of a blunt instrument. In some countries, for example, $3 a day might fall well short of meeting the baseline to pay for the essentials (food, clothing, shelter and fuel). Measuring these basic needs might give a truer picture of extreme poverty around the world.
Researchers Jason Hickel, Dylan Sullivan and Michail Moatsos have studied poverty through this basic-needs lens, and their findings are stark. Over a 30-year period, the share of the world’s population living in extreme poverty fell by just 6 percentage points. When it came to the real numbers, there was a rise of 200 million people in extreme poverty, alongside a more recent hike in those without secure access to food.
The authors say extreme poverty isn’t an inevitable consequence of a world population that now tops 8 billion. They argue that the planet has the capacity to give every human being the basics to survive – and more. But it will require governments to intervene, as some have done already, to make sure that the essentials are priced at a level that’s affordable to all.
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Sarah Reid
Senior Business Editor
The Conversation U.K.
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Jason Hickel, Autonomous University of Barcelona; Dylan Sullivan, Macquarie University; Michail Moatsos, Maastricht University
Severe poverty is not a natural condition – and research indicates that the world has enough resources to eradicate it.
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Marketing
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Prachi Gala, Kennesaw State University
More and more universities are bringing in corporate-style marketing chiefs. New research shows what they’re gaining – and where the returns fall flat.
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Public spending
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Steve Schifferes, City St George's, University of London; Conor O'Kane, Bournemouth University; Guilherme Klein Martins, University of Leeds; Jonquil Lowe, The Open University; Maha Rafi Atal, University of Glasgow
How can the chancellor raise the most money – at the lowest political cost?
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Investing
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Kara Nel, Stellenbosch University; Nadia Mans-Kemp, Stellenbosch University; Pierre Erasmus
Investment decisions that take into account social and environmental factors have been slow to take off in South Africa.
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Business
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Shae McCrystal, University of Sydney; Tess Hardy, The University of Melbourne
The judge’s ruling is an important signal to unions in pursuing other employers who may breach the Fair Work Act.
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E-commerce
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Katie Mehr, University of Alberta
Consumers use online reviews to inform their purchasing decisions, but the reviews can be influenced by many different factors.
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Work
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Heidi Ashton, University of Warwick
Freelancers may need to juggle multiple jobs and roles.
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Jeffrey Sklansky, University of Illinois Chicago
Both holidays arose at the same time, nearly 150 years ago, in the midst of an explosive labor uprising.
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