1. {
Higher Modern Studies
WORLD ISSUES: POVERTY
LESSON 1
POVERTY

2. What is poverty?
World Issue: POVERTY
Poverty: Those living on less than the equivalent of $1.25 a day

3. What makes people poor?
What makes countries poor?
World Issue: POVERTY

4. Poverty affects people around the world.
Entire Nations/Countries are RARELY poor but
people WITHIN nations are!
e.g. a Rich country like the UK has many ‘poor’
people
Where as a country we tend to think is ‘poor’ like
Tanzania, will have many ‘rich’ people
World Issue: POVERTY

5. POVERTY
POVERTY means
different things to
different people:
i.e. in the UK we tend
to talk about
RELATIVE POVERTY
Meaning: people are poor in
RELATION to others
i.e. may live in LOW INCOME
household
Or be DEPENDANT ON
BENEFITS
People in that situation may be
defined as poor by our standards
HOWEVER!!! We do have
benefits for people out of work,
free health care and free
education (including higher
education in Scotland)

6. Across the world poverty means
something different
i.e. there are many in ABSOLUTE poverty
Those struggling to have the very basic
needs like access to food, water or shelter
Many of those in Africa suffer from such
poverty
POVERTY

7. Developed World v Developing World
POVERTY
Give out Hand-out 1

8. POVERTY
Those lucky enough to live
in the DEVELOPED
WORLD tend to:
 Have a high standard of
living
 Good health services
 High literacy rates
 Low infant mortality rates
 Have economies based on
industry, trade and new
technology
 Have Rights
 Democratic political
system
E.G. Scotland, France, USA,
Australia
By contrast, many of the
DEVELOPING countries
suffer from:
 Low living standards
 High illiteracy
 High infant mortality
 Poor healthcare
 Have economies based on
agriculture
 Lack of modern
technology
 Poor infrastructure
 Can be undemocratic or
suffer from corruption
E.G. Malawi, Brazil, India

9. World Issue: POVERTY
Africa is the second-largest
continent on Earth.
18 of the poorest 20
countries in the world are
in Africa
Including the poorest
country in the world DR
Congo
Around 50% of Sub-
Saharan Africa’s
population lives on the
equivalent of less than $1
a day
Give out Hand-out 2

10. World Issue: POVERTY
Effects of Poverty:
On Individuals On Countries/Govts
Hungry Lack of Food provision
No Money Debt
Illiterate Poor/limited Education system (some boys only)
Ill Health/Disease Poor Healthcare System (lack of doctors etc)
Homelessness Lack of Housing/temporary/unofficial housing
Unemployment Weak Economy
Lack of Safety High Crime rates/ Conflict/ Social problems

11. REACTIONS TO POVERTY
The United Nations Organisation U.N.O (which we will study in
detail) is trying to tackle poverty and has set up the
Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) to measure how
successful it has been.
TACKILING POVERTY (and hunger) is the NUMBER 1
GOAL of the UN.
The aim is to initially halve the proportion of people who are
living on less than $1 a day by 2015 (compared with 1990)
World Issue: POVERTY

12. Great progress is being made due to the work of
UN Agencies, aid by individual countries, debt
relief, and the economic growth policies of many
African countries.
Far Fewer people are poor today compared to 10
years ago and the UN is on target to meet its
MDG in tackling poverty
HOWEVER – MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
CONTINUE TO LIVE IN POVERTY AND DIE
EARLY AS A RESULT
World Issues: Poverty