Ending Global Poverty: A Guide to What Works - Softcover

Smith, Stephen C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0230606156 ISBN 13: 9780230606159

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 2008

Synopsis

Two out of every three people in the world live on less than two dollars a day. This is a grim statistic but hundreds of millions of people are breaking free from poverty with the help of grass-roots programs and organizations funded by regular people her

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

"We have an opportunity, in this generation, to reduce global poverty, both through acts of charity and by working as citizens to influence public policy. Stephen Smith offers reliable information, stories of success, and good advice on how to get personally involved in this important fight. Read it, and then take action. " --David Beckmann, President, Bread for the World

"This practical and remarkably hopeful guide to ending world poverty delivers what it promises, clear-headed remedies for heart-breaking conditions. Stephen Smith finds solutions where others see only problems. All who truly place moral values at the top of their agendas will want to read this book. "--Forrest Church, author of The American Creed and Freedom from Fear

"A most comprehensive strategy for fighting poverty-of great interest to activists, scholars, and all who care about those most in need. Clearly writen and with much convinction."--Amitai Etzioni, author of From Empire to Community: A New Approach to International Relations

"Smith's book is a terrific contribution to our understanding of how to improve the well-being of impoverished people. It is accessible and informative for anyone who is interested in understanding clearly the fundamental causes of chronic poverty, and the innovative responses by organizations worldwide to address them. Smith's discussion of the keys to poverty traps dispels many popular misconceptions, and helps the reader understand the real issues. His profiles of successful programs designed to address those traps shows the impact many organizations have already made worldwide, and highlights some of the lessons they have learned in the process. This book should help raise the effectiveness of donors, organizations, and governments in their efforts to help those in need." --Judith M. Dean, International Economist, Washington, DC; former Associate Professor of Economics, SAIS, Johns Hopkins University, and former Board member, World Relief.

"Anyone who seeks a better understanding of human poverty should read this book. It provides a rich set of anti-poverty initiatives and programs, ranging from playpumps in South Africa to phone ladies in Bangladesh. The author's optimism is a welcome antidote against the skepticism, pessimism and cynicism that often characterizes the debate on global poverty. In readable language, he describes the many faces of human poverty and unbundles its complexities at the hand of concrete stories and practical approaches. He also offers a guide for those in rich countries who want to make a difference by supporting aid and relief organizations." --Jan Vandemoortele, Leader, Poverty Group, United Nations Development Program

"The world's leaders have repeatedly promised to tackle poverty on a massive scale, but they always seem to find excuses for failing to mobilize the necessary resources. Stephen Smith shows convincingly that even the poorest of the poor can help themselves - with a little help from the rest of us. Anyone who wants to understand why so many remain trapped in poverty, and what they and we can do about it, should read this inspiring book." --Ann Florini, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Director of the World Economic Forum's Global Governance Initiative

"Get this book. Read it. Step up. Amid a million reasons to shrink away in frustration, Stephen Smith offers a clear and engaging guide to meeting the greatest challenge of our time. The book is much more than a call to arms. Smith sifts through the latest research and reports on practical innovations that he has witnessed around the world--new ideas that are already in place and working. The book, by a leading voice in development economics, offers simple steps, small and large, to push the fight forward."--Jonathan Morduch, NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and co-author of The Economics of Microfinance

"Offers sensible guidelines to both individuals and corporations about how they can help, but its main contribution is to describe the successes of many programs on the ground, ranging from programs to improve nutrition to those working on education or microcredit, often run by local nongovernmental organizations, which have emerged to fill the gaps left by incompetent or corrupt governments." -Foreign Affairs

"A straightforward and accessible book on the causes of poverty and some successful programs for reducing it. Ending Global Poverty (Palgrave), in fact, takes as its starting point the fact that pockets of intense poverty can persist even within growing economies because of self-reinforcing "traps" such as illiteracy, overpopulation and a lack of working capital. Smith reports on a number of successful programs that have helped desperately poor communities overcome those traps. He emphasizes micro-projects that rely on the commitment, ingenuity and hard work of poor people themselves. The book is part of a growing literature that questions the top-down approach taken by the United Nations, World Bank and regional development banks to alleviate poverty through major infrastructure projects, deregulation and reform of national economic institutions. Smith advocates a bottom-up approach that focuses on community efforts and relies on the generosity and involvement of individuals and non-government organizations." -Washington Post

About the Author:

Stephen C. Smith is Professor of Economics at George Washington University.

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0230606156
• ISBN 13: 9780230606159
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272