The Economics of Poverty: History, Measurement, and Policy

The last 30 years has seen much progress against extreme poverty in the world - a faster pace of progress than was seen over the prior 100 years or more of economic development globally. However, continuing progress is far from assured. High and rising inequality has stalled progress against poverty in many countries. We are seeing generally rising relative poverty-judged by the standards of the country and time one live in- over recent decades. There has been less progress in reaching the world's poorest, who risk being left behind. And a great many people in the emerging middle class remain vulnerable to falling back into poverty. This book aims to support well-informed efforts to put in place effective policies to assure continuing success in the fight against poverty in all its dimensions.

An overview of the economic development of and policies intended to combat poverty around the world.