Monthly Archives: February 2015

You can’t have one without the other: Reducing extreme poverty depends on inequality

Published on Oxfam America’s Politics of Poverty blog

Looking at projections in 10 countries.

For the most part, we anticipate that countries will grow their economies in the coming years. Growth means more financial resources available to reduce extreme poverty by creating jobs, increasing social services, and building stronger safety nets. However, if governments fail to ensure the benefits of growth are shared with the most vulnerable, then poverty reduction will be minimal. This can happen if the benefits of growth only accrue to the richest.

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Eight Ways To Reduce Global Inequality

Published at Inequality.org

Co-authored with Dr. Marjorie Wood

Extreme economic inequality is corrosive to our societies. It makes poverty reduction harder, hurts our economies, and drives conflict and violence. Reversing this trend presents a significant challenge, but one where we’ve seen some progress. Below we offer eight ways to move the world forward in reducing global inequality.

1. Stop Illicit Outflows Continue reading →

Don’t miss the big picture: Oxfam highlights inequality because #WealthIsPower

Published on Oxfam Great Britain’s Mind the Gap blog

Don’t let the technical debate overshadow Oxfam’s real message.

Some critics of our work have asked why we looked at wealth, especially given the difficulties of measuring how it is distributed globally. Also, some charge that by only looking at wealth inequality, we’re missing the great reduction of extreme poverty that has taken place over the past couple decades as wages among the world’s poorest have risen, particularly in China and India.

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