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Grass Roots War on Poverty

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  • Alice H Amsden

Abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa's failure to slay the dragon of poverty is due to a logical flaw in its policies: the remedies to reduce poverty don't address the causes. Poverty is caused by unemployment, owing to a scarcity of jobs that pay above bare subsistence, but grass-roots poverty alleviation measures are exclusively designed to make job-seekers more capable although no jobs are available. The 'appropriate' technologies of the grass roots movement that dominates anti-poverty policies are oriented towards consumption, ignoring production jobs. Poverty persists from low productivity in agriculture or outright landlessness. Irrigation and rural electrification are required to facilitate economic diversification into non-agricultural work. Yet irrigation and electrification require central political coordination and application of modern science and technology. Centralized decision- making is low on the agenda of the anti-poverty movement, with deep roots at the local level. To create employment requires capital investments to expand entrepreneurial opportunities and increase productive jobs. The most successful countries to grapple with poverty have 'scaled up,' not down; Big, not Small, is Beautiful. The statistical evidence for a large number of developing countries strongly supports the hypothesis of a trickle down effect, not a bottom up effect as the best way to beat poverty.

Suggested Citation

  • Alice H Amsden, 2012. "Grass Roots War on Poverty," World Economic Review, World Economics Association, vol. 2012(1), pages 114-114, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:wea:worler:v:2012:y:2012:i:1:p:114
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Pritish Behuria & Tom Goodfellow, 2019. "Leapfrogging Manufacturing? Rwanda’s Attempt to Build a Services-Led ‘Developmental State’," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 31(3), pages 581-603, July.
    3. Guendalina Anzolin & Amir Lebdioui, 2021. "Three Dimensions of Green Industrial Policy in the Context of Climate Change and Sustainable Development," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(2), pages 371-405, April.
    4. Joshua Greenstein, 2015. "New patterns of structural change and effects on inclusive development: A case study of South Africa and Brazil," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2015-006, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    5. Küblböck, Karin & Staritz, Cornelia, 2014. "Private sector development: Business plan or development strategy?," Working Papers 51, Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE).
    6. Österreichische Forschungsstiftung für Internationale Entwicklung (ÖFSE) (ed.), 2013. "Österreichische Entwicklungspolitik 2013. Private Sector Development: Ein neuer Businessplan für Entwicklung?," Austrian Development Policy Report, Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE), number 268192.

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