RURAL POVERTY IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Rural Poverty in Dominican Republic

Abstract

In the year 2008, according to the United Nations Human Development index, the Dominic Republic stood at 91st position out of total 177 countries. It is also to be noted that earlier in the year 2008 Dominic republic stood at 77th position. UN development program illustrates that there is severe gap in the income equity, as currently 16.2% of the Dominican citizens earn less than $2 per day, meanwhile 44% people live below the nation's poverty line. The rich people enjoy 40% of the nation's income, while the 50% poor people gets less than 20% of the Gross National Product.  In future it seems that the poor Dominicans would have less than $2 US Dollar every day per capita. Additional demonstrate the financial disparity is the Gini Coefficient. The ratio of coefficient is based on 0-1 scale. Where 0 consider being the perfect income inequality and 1 is consider to equal perfect income inequality. At 0 scales individual will have the same income. Whereas at 1 person would have all the income. Currently .516 according to the United Nations, the Dominican Republic has the 19th-largest measured income inequality in the world. Rural poverty is a major concern in the Dominican Republic. More than 70% of the country's poor live in rural areas. Infrastructure is very limited; children have little formal schooling after 3rd grade; homes are built with mud walls, roofs of corrugated tin. Poverty is scattered throughout the country with the highest absolute percentage of poverty in urban Santo Domingo and central Cibao.

Rural Poverty in Dominican Republic

Introduction

If it is true that world has moved proportionally more in the last fifty years than in all history, it is nevertheless the fact that inequality between nations is one of the characteristics that best define contemporary world. This has resulted, especially in the major differences between peoples in access to basic goods and services, and is the result of economic processes, with different results, we have experienced in recent decades. Recent research seems to show that the main factors involved in current conflicts are related to economic difficulties, problems to access to land ownership in rural, religion and political instability.

These factors and differences are the cause of poverty. Poverty is defined as a condition characterized by lack of resources, resources or opportunities for satisfaction of minimum human needs, both material and cultural. According to the definition, the poor cannot feed, dress or no education, also do not receive adequate medical care or access to jobs, while emotional and spiritual life tends to be reduced. Although there are many definitions and approaches to make poverty, the majority focuses on the lack of economic resources. Amongst them the most prominent and widely accepted definition are as follows:

Poverty is hunger.

Poverty is lack of roof over their shelter.

Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor.

Poverty is not able to go to school and not ...