Poverty Elimination
The Problem of Poverty
One of the most intractable problems today is the widespread and growing problem of poverty. Almost 700 million people around the world live in extreme poverty, and according to the UN, global efforts to reduce extreme poverty have ground to a halt. They subsist on less than $2.15 per day, the extreme poverty line. Just over half of these people live in Sub-Saharan Africa. (See more on this and related topics by following the links found at the bottom of the page.)
And even though ending poverty is the top goal of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals,1 income inequality appears to be growing rather than diminishing. Many thousands of experiments have been tried, including microcredit, which has been helpful, but not without its own problems (as described here).
Only one thing seems to consistently lift the poor out of their economic malaise and that is to just give them money. According to GiveDirectly, “Cash transfers are backed by 1,000+ studies from leading experts around the world. Research shows that by empowering families in poverty to choose how to improve their own lives, cash cuts child mortality in half, grows the local economy by 2.5x funds given, and more.”
Such programs go by various names, the most common being basic income (a.k.a. a guaranteed minimum income that is means tested) or universal basic income (a.k.a. “UBI”). Although many people use both terms to describe the same program, they are not the same, as described in the section below titled Basic Income vs Universal Basic Income (UBI).*
There have been numerous successful basic income/UBI projects throughout the world over the last 20 years or so. Some have been government funded efforts and others by various private parties – churches, NGOs etc. Several of them are detailed on the page titled Universal Basic Income History.
Examples
There have been a several such programs in Africa, one of the earlier ones having occurred in Namibia in 2008-09 in a village called Otjivero, initiated by the Basic Income Grant Coalition (BIG). Their pilot project is described here, and in greater detail here. The latter link provides greater insight into the impacts of such programs on such things as entrepreneurism and overall wellbeing of the residents. It was followed up by this detailed 60 page report and analysis 10 years later (2019) that provides even greater insight into the impact of this kind of program, both on individual and collective lives.
One of the largest examples has been a recent (2017) and ongoing effort (that began in Kenya) driven by a U.S. based charity called GiveDirectly. This article “It’s one of the biggest experiments in fighting global poverty. Now the results are in” details their story captured in this comprehensive 69 page report. GiveDirectly’s poverty relief program has been expanded to reach over 350,000 households in rural villages in Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda. They have also launched other cash transfer programs in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Morocco, Mozambique, and Togo.
Problem with existing programs
However, examples like the BIG program, the GiveDirectly program and numerous government funded ones share one problem. They rely on donor funds or government funds, neither of which are limitless. As we detail in the introductory video, there never appears to be enough money to support social benefit programs such as basic income/UBI and more.
The Solution
The SCF program breaks that mold and allows for unlimited funds to support basic income/UBI and other direct grant programs, infrastructure projects, entrepreneurism, and many other programs and projects. That difference is detailed in the page linked below titled Income Grants and SCF.
Nothing in history has been able to rival the breadth of our poverty elimination program! See why in the links below.
- Basic Grants and the Sustainable Communities Framework
- Basic Food Grants
- Other Individual Grants
- Universal Basic Income History
*Basic Income vs Universal Basic Income (UBI)
Basic income, also known as guaranteed income, is a grant provided to a group of individuals usually based on some form of a “means test”. That is, if an individual falls below some economic measurement, then they are eligible for the basic income grant.
Universal basic income (UBI) is a grant provided to every individual within a specified population, regardless of their economic status. That is, rich or poor, everyone in that group receives the same grant. SCC/MSCF will be issuing UBI grants rather than a basic income.
The articles below explore those differences.
Universal basic income vs. guaranteed minimum income: What’s the difference?
Understanding Universal Basic Income (UBI) vs. Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI)
What is the difference between the guaranteed income program in California and universal basic income?
Here is what you need to know about the call for a Basic Income Grant
Additional Reading Materials on Poverty, Basic Income and UBI
Goal #1 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals https://sdgs.un.org/goals: End poverty in all its forms everywhere https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal
Poverty: the past, present and future https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/poverty-the-past-present-and-future/
Poverty – The World Bank Group https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview
Ending Poverty – The United Nations https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/ending-poverty
Poverty is in rich countries too – https://ourworldindata.org/higher-poverty-global-line
Global Poverty FAQs – https://www.worldvision.org/sponsorship-news-stories/global-poverty-facts
The evolution of global poverty, 1990-2030 – https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-evolution-of-global-poverty-1990-2030/
Over 330 million children worldwide living in extreme poverty https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/09/1140687
The top 11 causes of poverty around the world https://concernusa.org/news/causes-of-poverty/
Famous Quotes About Poverty https://www.compassion.com/poverty/famous-quotes-about-poverty.htm
How to end poverty? Give the poor cash and access to mobile money and text them reminders to save and take their meds—not. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-to-end-poverty-give-the-poor-cash-and-access-to-mobile-money-and-text-them-reminders-to-save-and-take-their-meds-not/
The Poverty Solution: Just Give Money to the Poor https://truthout.org/articles/the-poverty-solution-just-give-money-to-the-poor/
Just give poor people money https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/10/17/opinion/just-give-poor-people-money/
What Happens When You Just Give Money To Poor People? https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2013/10/25/240590433/what-happens-when-you-just-give-money-to-poor-people
How To Fix Poverty: Why Not Just Give People Money? https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/08/07/541609649/how-to-fix-poverty-why-not-just-give-people-money