Arun Advani: The Problem of Persistent Poverty at WES2018

In the most philanthropic and altruistic talk of the summit, Arun Advani encouraged us to “think about the world differently” when it comes to tackling poverty. The Assistant Professor from Warwick and Deputy Director and Research Associate at CAGE shed light on the brutal fact that the world is not confronting poverty correctly. Advani noted that, at present, incomes are not increasing at the rate they should be for those in poverty.

Ridding the world of poverty is not just about shifting incomes up…

To explain this, Advani claimed that the current theory of providing relief to those in poverty is simply not true. Indeed, the current consensus in tackling poverty circulates around the cycle of poverty. That is, those without income cannot afford food, and, in turn, have no energy and so cannot work, leaving them without income, unable to buy food and without energy to work once again. For many, claims Advani, up until now the solution has been to give money which should, according to the cycle of poverty, produce more than a one-to-one effect and, therefore, relieve those stuck in the cycle.

However, Advani threw this idea out of the window after claiming this notion of poverty simply “doesn’t exist.” Advani then emphasised that ridding the world of poverty is not just about shifting incomes up, but instead is about helping incomes grow autonomously. The Warwick professor then remarked; “this is where my research comes in.”

We must extend our scope to include whole communities…

Based on a study that concerned giving cows to villages struck by poverty, Advani claimed that poverty can be most effectively tackled by thinking about whole communities rather than individuals. Indeed, in his research, Advani discovered that gifting a proportion of cows to a village that could make a whole community autonomously grow their own incomes was the way forward. Through the use of several visual aids the Warwick professor confidently proved that poverty must now be approached through a different lens, one that looks at the collective economy of a community rather than of an individual.

What can ultimately be taken away from Advani’s new insight into relieving those struck by poverty is that our approach must change. No longer can we throw money aimlessly at those in need, nor can we take comfort in the old saying ‘give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for life.’ Instead, as made clear by Advani, to rid the world of poverty we must extend our scope to include whole communities, expand their capacity to create their own sources of income, and, most importantly, start thinking about the poverty-stricken world differently. Essentially, we must teach the community how to fish, not just the proverbial man.