Technology and Poverty

Background Information

It is a paradoxical world. On one hand, we have spectacular advancements in the area of science and technology and on the other hand, we have millions of people who have no access to food and basic essentials to survive. Today's globalized economy has led to a sixteen-fold increase in world trade since World War II, worth over US$ 4 trillion per year (some 15 to 20 per cent of measured global GDP). The global economy of flows in these markets is increasingly abstract and divorced from national policy makers and local affairs, grassroots lives and livelihoods as well as natural ecosystem (Henderson, 1999). Technology as a tool on one hand has led to improvement of plight of large number of people and on the other hand it has led to marginalisation of large segments of society. Almost the entire continent of Africa (except for South Africa) has been bypassed by the flows of the global economy as described by Yash Tandon (Economist, 1999). According to the Human Development Report (HDR) (1997, pp2), although poverty has been dramatically reduced in many parts of the world, a quarter of the world's people remain in severe poverty. In a global economy of $25 trillion, this is a scandal - reflecting shameful inequalities and inexcusable failures of national and international policies. The same report also mentions that in some industrial countries, such as the United Kingdom and the US, poverty has risen considerably (HDR, 1997, pp.5). So technology has the strength to make a difference to this world. The problem is not the tool but the direction in which it can be utilized. There is a need to evolve a new paradigm in which technology not only produces increases in manufacturing productivity but also touches the lives of down trodden and those living in the abyss of poverty.

Objectives

This paper attempts to put forth a model of the causes of poverty and its manifestation. It also tries to highlight the cases in different sectors such as drinking water availability, empowerment of people, education, health, and shelter in India where the grassroot interventions have succeeded. It tries to derive the lessons in terms of use of technology, the sustainability aspect, empowerment and participation of the communities. The cases from these sectors have been chosen as poverty is not only linked with lack of income but also lack of fulfillment of basic needs such as water, shelter, food and clothing. As postulated by the World Bank it also gets manifested in powerlessness and lack of hope.

Economic Model

Model Of Poverty - Causes And Manifestation

The model presented above attempts to identify the causes of poverty and the manifestation in the real world. As can be seen from the figure it attempts to segregate the causes as internal and external causes and these are also related to each other. The manifestation of poverty in various forms is also indicated. To eliminate poverty, it is necessary to understand the causes of poverty. Only when the cause is ...