Eradicating Poverty: Moving Forward As One (Perspective‪)‬

The crisis of global poverty has, at long last, been accorded a high priority on the international agenda. Yet as renewed pledges for action pour in from governments, a feeling of rudderlessness looms. The mechanisms of poverty eradication have long been defined in primarily material terms. Indeed, the central pillar of the international community's poverty alleviation efforts has been the transfer of financial resources. Approximately $2.3 trillion has been spent on foreign aid over the last 50 years. Tragically, far from ushering in greater self-sufficiency, such aid has often had a detrimental effect, leading to increased dependency on foreign assistance, subservience to externally dictated priorities, misappropriation of funds, and decreased pressure for reform.