Published In

Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-2020

Subjects

COVID-19 (Disease), Poor -- East Asia, Poverty -- Measurement, East asia -- Economic conditions, Poverty -- Evaluation, Economic assistance -- Case studies, World Bank

Abstract

The World Bank’s “International Poverty Line,” a politically driven standard, obscures the reality that, in East Asia as elsewhere, poverty is increasing alongside enormous wealth for the richest ten percent. The COVID-19 pandemic is driving tens of millions more people into poverty in East Asia than would otherwise be the case, challenging all governments to meet the crisis where it most counts: in health care, food, aid to small businesses, and income. For that to happen , however, requires a dramatically different approach to economic globalization by governments and international lending agencies. Two events, the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, are playing havoc with efforts by international organizations to reduce poverty. The United Nations, the World Health Organization, and numerous nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are all engaged in poverty-reduction programs, but the World Bank stands out for obstructing a clearer understanding not just of how poverty should be defined, but also of what it takes to lift people out of it.

Rights

©2020 Mel Gurtov

Articles at The Asia-Pacific Journal are published under a Creative Commons license. Permission is granted to forward electronically to others and to post Asia-Pacific Journal texts for non-commercial purposes following Creative Commons guidelines, provided they are reproduced intact and the source indicated and linked.

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/34075

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