Is it possible to end poverty? Could we do it today? If so, should we?
Alex Steffen writes...
The idea of ending poverty as a planetary goal of primary importance is gaining real traction. No one believes that we will ever end all inequality -- in that sense, the poor are always with us. But an increasing number of people believe that we can eradicate absolute poverty: that we can raise every person on the planet above the basic thresholds of the Millennium Development Goals, that we can ensure than every man, woman and child on this planet has enough to eat and clean water to drink, some shelter, access to medical care, access to basic education and the basics of sustainable livelihood. . .
But can we actually do it? More and more people seem to think the answer is yes.
Jeffrey Sachs thinks we can do it with "one big push," spending $150 billion a year, which is, bluntly, not very much money at all. Others think we could do it more cheaply by focusing more carefully: The Earth Policy Institute, working from World Bank, U.N. and U.S. government figures, penciled up a budget for meeting seven basic and pressing needs throughout the developing world (getting every kid to school and feeding them lunch, teaching every adult to read, offering family planning to every couple and making sure condoms were available to any who wanted them, providing universal basic health care, and guaranteeing food for all pregnant women and preschool children). Their price tag? $62 billion per year.
Philanthropist Pierre Omidyar thinks it can be done for a fraction of that.
Embracing the work of microfinance outfits like the Grameen Bank, Omidyar points out that these models have managed to use small chunks of capital to achieve radical results. How much, then, would it take to extend microcapital to all the world's poor? "$60 billion, once and for all."
Even if we can't (or won't) do it today, exponential general-purpose molecular manufacturing might make it much easier to achieve. It's worth debating both the objective and the proposed tactics, because someday -- perhaps soon -- we likely will hold the potential in our hands to end poverty. Should we try? If so, what will be the best approach?