Working Paper: NBER ID: w19210
Authors: Martin Ravallion
Abstract: How did we come to think that eliminating poverty is a legitimate goal for public policy? What types of policies have emerged in the hope of attaining that goal? The last 200 years have witnessed a dramatic change in thinking about poverty. Mainstream economic thinking in the 18th century held that poverty was necessary and even desirable for a country's economic success. Today, poverty is more often viewed as a constraint on that success. In short, poverty switched from being seen as a social good to a social bad. This change in thinking, and the accompanying progress in knowledge, has greatly influenced public action, with heightened emphasis on the role of antipoverty policy in sustainable promotion from poverty, as well as protection. Development strategies today typically strive for a virtuous cycle of growth with equity and a range of policy interventions have emerged that aim to help assure that outcome. An expanding body of knowledge has taught us about how effective those interventions are in specific settings, although many knowledge gaps remain.
Keywords: Antipoverty policy; Public policy; Poverty alleviation; Economic development
JEL Codes: B1; B2; I38
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Changing public perceptions of poverty (I32) | Emergence of antipoverty policies (H53) |
| Implementation of public policies (D78) | Reduction of poverty levels (I32) |
| Historical context, public awareness, and political economy (P17) | Evolution of thought and policy (B15) |