Opportunities for global poverty reduction in the 21st century

OPPORTUNITIES FOR GLOBAL POVERTY REDUCTION IN THE 21ST CENTURY Every hour of every day 1,200 children die from poverty-related causes. An afternoon may roughly be the time it takes to read through this book. Think about it – by the time you have finished reading this book, the world will be several thousand children “poorer.” In today’s globalized world, poverty is no longer beyond anyone’s reach but has been shown to reside right on our doorstep. Indeed, the world has “shrunk” into a global village. Imagine: What would the distribution of wealth look like if the world had only 1,000 inhabitants? 150 villagers would live in rich neighborhoods, 780 in poor districts. About 100 people would own 85% of all the wealth, while roughly half the village would fight daily for raw survival, on less than $2 per day. And yet, the ocean of opportunity is awash with an abundance of assets: it teems with life. Opportunities for Global Poverty Reduction in the 21st Century heartily welcomes you to a motivating and hopeful tour of discovery. (continued in the Introduction)