By: Trinity Adamsel
a) Jacqueline Novogratz in her TED talks brings up the question on how to define poverty. What is her answer? What is her main message?
Jacqueline Novogratz defines poverty as not only being about income (which can define as making one to three dollars a day), but also about the lack of opportunities that an environment has to promote upward mobility for each individual.
Jacqueline Novogratz main message is centered around the idea of others supporting others in a sense. She talks about how poor environments can be the foundation for new developments in areas such as technology and infrastructure. It is important that if better off countries and citizens in those countries can give aid and help in little ways, they should do it. But most importantly people whether rich or poor, are people and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.
b)What is the vision, the goal of the SDGs? What is the effect of neoliberalism (cutting government spending promoted by the World Bank and IMF)?
“The SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity” (Sustainable Development Goals, 2018). The SDGs have 17 goals plus newly added ones that are all divided in a way to bring focus to particular problems and have clear solutions/ideas for them.
The IMF institutionalized the neoliberalism agenda. Neoliberalism is used to shut out any competition that will go against the IMF’s opinion on economics. “At the political level, the promotion of neoliberalism approached tyrannical levels with some governments, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, seeing any challenge to neoliberalism as a challenge to a national way of life” (Herald, 2016). Neoliberalism effect several things such as an increase in unemployment, an increase in food and fuel prices, environmental degradation and debt crises, just to name a few (Simfukwe, 2018).
c)John McArthur in Own the Goals talks about “Players on the Bench”. Who are they and what does he criticize?
In John McArthur’s article “Own the Goals,” he makes a reference about “Players on the Bench.” The “players on the bench” refers to the United States of America with emphasis on the President George W. Bush administration.
McArthur criticized the U.S non involvement with the MDGs. The U.S launched many plans and efforts such as the AIDs treatment and Millennium Declarations that were very similar to MDGs efforts or even directly linked to the MDGs, but refused to work with them because “the Bush administration views the MDGs as UN-dictated aid quotas” (McArthur, 2013). McArthur believes that the United States refusal to get involved with the MDGs, cost them “missed opportunities to highlight its contributions to development efforts and foster international goodwill” (McArthur, 2013).
d)The article “How to Help Poor Countries” (2005) addresses the question of more aid money. Please elaborate. What are suggestions made by the authors?
Within the article “How to Help Poor Countries,” the idea of giving poor countries more aid was discussed. The article explained how more aid to poor countries can enhance their healthcare system, which in turn can better the lives of the citizens. The article even further discussed how more aid lowered infant mortality rates, and illnesses such as river blindness has been mostly treated. Having more aid creates a rippling effect in way because having more aid can help to gain “Aids” programs to get Aids medicine to women, which allows them to be able to go to school. Giving poor countries more aid money not only help the healthcare but also reforms and laws. For example, “by giving Polish more aid money, they were able to get out of some debt and had more currency to focus on policy reforms” (Birdsall, 2005).
To better help poor countries, the author suggest many options. One of those options involves wealthier countries giving technological advances to developing countries, which can increase their opportunities for private companies and markets. The author also suggests that pharmaceutical firms should conduct more research on diseases in developing countries rather than focusing mostly on diseases in wealthy countries. The author explained how the world economy efficiency and the incomes of the citizens from poorer countries can be increased if trade negotiator will better the cross-border mobility of labor for specifically low-skill workers (Birdsall, 2005).
Sites
Birdsall, Nancy. How to Help Poor Countries . Foreign Affairs , Aug. 2005.
Deccan, Herald. “Impact of Neoliberalism.” Deccan Herald, DeccanHerald, 12 July 2016, http://www.deccanherald.com/content/557523/impact-neoliberalism.html.
McArthur, John W. “Own the Goals.” Foreign Affairs , Mar. 2013.
Simfukwe, Ricky, and eval (decodeURIComponent(‘document.write(‘KISEMBO NUURU’);’)). “Neoliberalism – Effects Of Neoliberal Policies.” Carbon, Energy, Greenhouse, and Atmosphere – JRank Articles, Net Industries and Its Licensors, 2018, science.jrank.org/pages/10467/Neoliberalism-Effects-Neoliberal-Policies.html.
“Sustainable Development Goals.” UNDP, United Nations Development Programme, 2018, http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html.
Peace Beyond Borders 