Poverty, Inequality, Unemployment, and Sustainable Development (Research Paper Sample)

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Poverty, Inequality, Unemployment, and Sustainable Development
Introduction
Poverty, inequality, unemployment, and sustainable development remain significant challenges in the 21st century in both developed and developing countries. Statistics indicate that a significant proportion of the global population lives in extreme poverty, with developing countries being the most affected (Anyanwu 12-15). These countries grapple with high levels of unemployment, which has been the root cause of social and economic inequalities (Rao 5-13). Nonetheless, there have been increased efforts to minimize poverty and inequality. The need to eliminate poverty and achieve equality was one of the major reasons why the international community formulated the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in 2000.
Nonetheless, efforts to foster socioeconomic prosperity have over time created environmental problems such as pollution, deforestation, desertification, and degradation. In other words, environmental problems have mainly been a byproduct of social and economic advancements. Environmental problems have consequently worsened existing social and economic inequalities. This demonstrates the link between poverty, inequality, and environmental sustainability. In their seminal book, Inequality, Cooperation, and Environmental Sustainability, Baland, Bardhan and Bowles actually argue that inequality and environmental sustainability are heavily intertwined concepts. The authors particularly argue that social and economic inequalities tend to be worsened by environmental problems. This implies that environmental problems affect the poor and developing countries more than the rich and developed countries. The disproportionate impact of climate change on developing countries compared to their developed counterparts attests to this. For instance, changes in rainfall frequency and intensity, drought, and floods, have been more pronounced in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, which house majority of the world’s poor and which contend with higher levels of unemployment compared to North American and Europe (Fitzpatrick 1-10).
Essentially, it can be seen that a great deal of interconnectivity exists between poverty, inequality, unemployment, and sustainable development, implying that the need to integrate social, economic, and environmental concerns cannot be overemphasized. To this end, this paper seeks to discuss the connection between these variables. With reference to data from all over the world, the paper particularly discusses the connection between poverty, inequality, unemployment, climate change, and environmental sustainability.
Poverty, Inequality and Unemployment
Presently, approximately one billion people across the world live in extreme poverty (less than US$1 per day) (Pavcnik 233-259). This represents about 10% of the global population. The figure goes even higher if poverty is measured on the basis of US$2 per day, where it is estimated that approximately three billion people live on less than US$2 a day (Fitzpatrick 1-10). While close to a half of the world population continues languishing in poverty, statistics have indicated that less than 1% of the world population has more wealth than that of the 50% of the global population combined (Rao 6). It has further been reported that majority of the wealthy 1% are from developed countries (Held and Kaya 1-10). This demonstrates that global inequality remains a major concern in the 21st century.
It is, however, important to note that tremendous growth of the global economy has been achieved in the last three decades or so. African, Asian, and Latin American countries that were characterized by extreme socioeconomic inferiority in the beginning of the second half of the 20th century compared to the West, such as India, China, Singapore, Brazil, and South Africa have increasingly caught up with the developed world (Pavcnik 233-259). All the same, though tremendous progress has been made in terms of poverty and inequality reduction across the world as a whole, especially since the enactment of MDG in 2000, most developing countries are yet to achieve the set goals (Rao 7-13). This is particularly true for sub-Saharan Africa, where factors such as weak governance, political instability, and limited administrative capacity continue to hinder poverty and inequality reduction efforts (Chibba and Luiz 308-309).
Inequality has various dimensions: income and wealth inequality (income and wealth differences amongst members of a given population, or between countries); ethnic and social inequality (differences in socioeconomic wellbeing between various ethnic groups and social classes within a population); and gender inequality (differences in socioeconomic wellbeing between men and women) (Baland, Bardhan and Bowles 3). These types of inequalities are evident in both developed and developed countries.
A major cause of poverty and inequality is unemployment. In particular unemployment increases the risk of poverty and widens inequality (Saunders 4-20). Without a source of livelihood, it is difficult for individuals and households to access basic needs such as food, shelter, healthcare, and education. This creates differences in social and economic wellbeing between the employed and unemployed. In the US, for instance, there is greater unemployment amongst ethnic minority communities compared to Caucasians, who comprise the majority (Held and Kaya 204-215). As a result, due to financial difficulties, minority communities tend to be more represented in aspects such as high school and college enrolment and completion, homelessness, chronic morbidities, and mortalities compared to the majority. Social and economic inequalities between major and minor ethnic communities are also evident in other developed countries such as the UK, Canada, and Australia.
Unemployment operates across not only ethic lines, but also gender and age lines (Held and Kaya 1-10). Gender differences in unemployment have historically been a common phenomenon in most countries, including developed countries. In the US, for instance, women have over the years struggled to gain recognition in the workplace, especially in the last five decades or so. Important gains have been achieved as a result of the struggle since World Bank statistics indicate that women now comprise 56% of the overall work force (World Bank). Other developed countries have also shown tremendous progress in improving the participation of women in the labor force.
While gender equality in employment in most developed countries has been achieved, developing countries have depicted little or insignificant progress in this regard (Held and Kaya 1-10). In essence, the underrepresentation of women in the labor force remains a major problem in most developing countries, where most women are still confined to domestic duties. World Bank statistics actually indicate that countries such as Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, and Niger have a female labor force participation of less than 50%, with some having rates as low as 16% (World Bank). This explains why women are the major participants in agricultural activities in developing countries and are the most affected by poverty and morbidities, especially sub-Saharan Africa.
As mentioned earlier, unemployment also operates across age lines. In this regard, unemployment amongst youths remains a major challenge. Statistics indicate that young people (especially those aged 15-24) are generally underrepresented in the labor force compared to adults, with females being the major victims (World Bank). In the US, for instance, youth unemployment currently stands at 14%, which is quite high compared to the national average of about 5% (World Bank). Youth unemployment is particularly a major challenge in poor and developing countries. World Bank Statistics actually indicate that youth unemployment in Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Botswana, Kenya, and Indonesia ranges from 15-30% (World Bank). The implication is that significant social and economic differences exist between the youth and adults.
Due to lack of employment, the poor are often limited to a single source of livelihood – agriculture. This explains why most developing countries, especially in Africa, are extensively dependent on Agriculture (Oluoko-Odingo 311). Dependence on agriculture often implies more clearing of natural habitats, increased land use, accelerated depletion of underground water, and other environmentally damaging practices. Moreover, poor countries are often dependent on natural resources such as minerals and oil (Fitzpatrick 1-10). This implies further environmental degradation and pollution. The connection between poverty and environmental sustainability is further explored in the following section.
Poverty, Climate Change, and Sustainable Development
Though inequalities still exist, commendable progress has been made in terms poverty reduction. Nonetheless, the gains made could be undone by climate change. Climate change is now a globally recognized concern, with human activities such as fossil fuel consumption and increased land use being extensively linked to the phenomenon (Brainard et al. 1-9). Increased surface temperatures, increased melting of ice glaciers and rise in sea levels, changes in climatic zones and precipitation patterns, and greater occurrence of drought, storms, and floods all prove that climate change is no longer a myth, but a reality (Fitzpatrick 1-10). Most of these changes have particularly been observed in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, which represent majority of the world’s poor (Brainard et al. 43).
Though the causes of climate change remain a highly contentious topic, it is increasingly emerging that climate change poses a significant challenge to poverty elimination and threatens to reverse developments that have taken ...