The Role of the Government in Reducing Poverty Essay

Introduction In 1986, President Ronald Reagan issued the pithiest expression of the modern American political conservative credo when he told a Chicago audience, â€Å"Ive always felt that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are Im from the government, and Im here to help.†1 While the current Republican administration is hardly an embodiment of this sentiment (President Bush has overseen the largest inflation-adjusted increase in federal spending since the Johnson Administration2), conservatives, at least in principle, believe in the notion of â€Å"small government† when it comes to social programs: less welfare, less federal control of education and Social Security privatization, among other proposals. The†¦show more content†¦All too often in our highly partisan political atmosphere, politicians impute nefarious motives to their opponents rather than critique the intellectual arguments that are presented in contention. This sophistry does no one in our country – especially the poverty-stricken – any good. For the purposes of this paper, therefore, I will assume that those with whom I disagree have the best intentions and that the source of disagreement lies with the different methods we advocate as most appropriate in trying to reach these ends. Poverty, Not Inequality Democratic Socialist nations (an appellation which categorizes much of Western Europe, for example) provide an extensive safety net to ensure a basic standard of living for every citizen. No doubt, there are serious trade-offs in a democratic state’s decision to undertake socialist programs, not limited to high unemployment, workplace inefficiency, unwieldy labor union power and extremely high taxes on the most successful workers. My own political sympathies and life experiences place me in general opposition to socialist policies. Yet few reasonable observers would argue that democratic socialist societies are cruelly repressive because of their socialist nature (I stress the democratic aspect of socialism, for if the state wereShow MoreRelatedPoverty Between The Rich And The Poor993 Words   |  4 Pagespeople’s living standards is below the poverty line, without access to essential resources such as food, health care or education. Poverty, which is a multi-facet phenomenon in today’s globalised world, is rooted in several causes and there are also multiple ways to eliminate it. This paper will discuss two main factors that cause poverty in developing countries, including overpopulation and corruption. It then suggests possible solutions to eradicate poverty, which include controlling populationRead MoreGender Roles And Gende r Inequality1576 Words   |  7 Pages2010). The underlying gender roles and gender inequality that persists in South Africa help not only to explain their unbelievably difficult daily burdens but it also aids in the understanding of the lack of economic and political representation of women in the region (Bentley, 2004). Within South Africa there is a significant gap in the lack of opportunity and representation of women within the economic and political sphere, which directly correlates to their poverty. Often times the universal equalityRead MoreMacroeconomic Policies Of National Development1117 Words   |  5 Pagesstability, employment and the achievement of sustainable balance sheet. Macroeconomic problems occur in every country, both developed countries and developing countries. Therefore, the government created the macroeconomic policies so that national development can work well. Macroeconomic policy is the policy of the government in the economic field to control and maintain economic stability. Economic policies are carried out by controlling / manipulating economic variables. These variables include: nationalRead MoreEconomic Poverty970 Words   |  4 Pageswhether human progress tends to reduce world poverty, tends to increase world poverty, or tends to leave world poverty unchanged; different economists have reached different conclusions. And their different conclusions have impacted strongly on how governments and others approach poverty, and on how poverty is dealt with or not dealt with. Even after Hurricane Katrina and the devastation left in its wake exposed to public eye the shocking levels of poverty in the mostly African-American neighborhoodsRead MoreAustralia, despite being one of the developed nation in the world with high standard of living,600 Words   |  3 Pagesimplemented to solve these problems but still it is an ongoing and never end ing issue in Australia. So to overcome the burning issue of Aboriginal people, some government and non-government policies must be introduce and implemented. Empowerment through health education and awareness to the Aboriginal people; especially women, reduction of poverty must be done. And eliminating discrimination and bringing health equality to overcome these causes. The first argument for improving the maternal and childRead MoreBangladesh Is On The Right Track1233 Words   |  5 PagesSystems – Section H October 16, 2015 Bangladesh is on The Right Track Bangladesh, the eight most populated country in the world has been plagued by poverty for a long time. In the year 2000, the United Nations created the Millennium Development Goals, the purpose was to decrease extreme poverty by 2015. Thus, when Goal 1; eradicating extreme poverty and hunger was included in the project, Bangladesh was targeted as the country is overpopulated and has a high rate of unemployment. A considerable numberRead MoreA Low And Stable Inflation Rate880 Words   |  4 Pagesand the like to be shipped to these areas to help cater for the poor standard of living. In several discussions on how to alleviate poverty, it’s always been a question of empowering the locals to confront their problems, even though the execution has always been left for criticism. However, being able to achieve and sustain a reliable economy that alleviates poverty in these localities should be hinged on the implementation of effective and realistic policies, which mitigates the pr oblem from theRead Morerural livelihood1375 Words   |  6 Pages : 2 ASSIGNMENT : Seven QUESTION : Discuss the role of government in promoting socio-economics of rural livelihood DUE DATE : 7 September 2013 DATE SUBMITTED: 2 September 2013 Government has a role to play in as far as promoting socio-economic for rural livelihood as the government is there for the people and it has to do anything possible for its people to live better life, government can promote socio-economic for rural livelihood through the implementationRead MoreStroke In Nicaraguaagua Case Study851 Words   |  4 Pagesof stroke in Nicaragua, it is important to ensure that political action strate-gies are in place to help reduce IHDs in the population, such as more government policy to in-crease early screening interventions by health care professionals can go a long way to assess people’s risk at an early age. Likewise, specific policies that help minimize poverty in Nicara-gua and address the hindrances to accessible and affordable health care services in low and middle income countries globally can reduce theRead MoreTo What Extent Do Democracies Affect A Nation s Poverty?1578 Words   |  7 Pages To what extent do democracies affect a nation’s poverty? My question was inspired by the article â€Å" The Life of the Peasants†. This article informs readers how bad the conditions were for peasants and the detrimental impacts that occurred on the peasants. Poverty is a serious topic that needs to be re-evaluated and analyzed some more. â€Å"Globally, about 21,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes†, according to the United Nations. This is one person every four seconds and unfortunately