Whose problem is poverty

Answer 1

Third world poverty is at least in part the problem (and responsibility) of the rich nations, whose wealth is largely derived from the cheap resourses and labour from the third world. Much of the problem is due to debt ,stemming back to the massive IMF/ World Bank "development" loan programs of the 1970s.

Haiti , for example, has been exploited by France and the U.S for five centurys (much of France's wealth comes from Haiti), and yet it remains in debt , and very impoverished.

The rich nations, especially Britain and the U.S. , also have an increasing number of poor, and a growing wealth divide, and the question of whose problem it is depends on your politics. The reasons for the U.S. now having record poverty are obvious- destruction of its manufacturing base (except weapons), replaced by an economy based on the consumption of cheap imports and off-shoring of jobs, along with financialization of the economy. The housing bubble and GFC perpetrated by Wall St. banks and financial institutions has resulted in thousands of middle class Americans being made homeless. It is a problem created by the rich and powerful, and is also a great problem for them, due to the social unrest it will inevitably lead to. Britain is not far behind - poverty and the wealth gap are at levels not seen since the 1920s. After the GFC, the combined wealth of Britain's richest had increased sharply, while austerity measures were implemented - cuts to social services, unemployment benefits and pensions, as well as increased charges for utilities.