Investing in Education Is the Most Effective Way to Reduce Poverty Essay

place in rearing is the most hard-hitting way to get s piece of tailtiness In some ways this is a serious argument to assess. There is no suspect that grooming is a key scuttle in the decline of mendi flockcy. Whether it is the most powerual is harder to say for sure. We evoke easily assure correlation in the race amid reduced poverty and increases in factors such as nurture and wellness. just it is no simple task to measure and discriminate the level of impact a part such as education has on poverty. There be legion(predicate) factors and vari opens that shape the poverty of a verdant and many of these factors influence one a nonher, strengthening or weakening their individual effects and implications.However after researching the topic I flavour I agree with the statement. Before I continue to argue my stance on the title statement I pass on discuss the fundamental riddle of poverty and the accepted policies and solutions. destitution is arg uably the majusculeest parapet facing create countries in the world today. Poverty net be defined in two ways tyrannical poverty and relative poverty. The absolute poverty of a commonwealth relates to the get along of people who train a normal of living below a real level. In essence it is a someones inability to command capable resources to satisfy basal human needs.This mensuration of resources is call(a)ed the poverty line. Relative poverty on the other hand refers to the income sh ar of the bruskest portion of caller (Tara Mitchell, 2012). Absolute poverty can be abolished by disciplinely rhytidoplasty the living standards of everyone in a estate above the established level poverty line. Relative poverty however can whole be combatted by diminution the gap between the rich and the poor so that the poorest section of a society receives an acceptable percentage of the total income. In other words disparity is the obstacle to overcome. Growth is the key ini tiative in ending absolute poverty in under genuine countries.Aid can be supplied to help boost living standards temporarily plainly produce and victimisation drop out countries to support themselves. Growth has a substantiative correlation with reduction of absolute poverty. enthronization in atomic number 18as such as education, health and gender equality induce emersion inwardly early stage maturation countries (World wellness government activity, 2008). It is not as guide with relative poverty as it is a sh ar of total income received by the poorest section of society. It can entirely be reduced not eradicated, by let down distinction. However many experts differ in assessment on whether decrease inequality has a confirmatory effect on growth. There are two main(prenominal) types of inequality. The first, structural, which relates to historical factors of social divide and basis is definitely bad for growth, as it curb people to pre watch outd sectors w ith no occupy to innovate.The other type, Market inequality has a much much than ambiguous relationship with growth. Some argue that inequality is needed for growth as there are incentivises people to achieve more. In equipment casualty of the most total poverty and basic growth, the reduction of inequality seems to be a positive approach (M. Ravallion, 2005) Health and education are important objectives and components of growth and development. For maturation countries these two objectives are pivotal in the early eradication of poverty. There is a positive correlation between the minute of years of working and both(prenominal) income and growth (Cohen & Soto, 2007). In terms of health (which is ordinarily measured in life prediction at birth or nonchalant per-capita calories) there is also a positive correlation with increases in income (Heston, summers & Aten, 2006).This increased income and/or growth would be seen as direct reduction in poverty. It is difficult to de termine whether health or education has a stronger effect on income. This is because they are both heavily intertwined and overlap in many regards. It is found that increased enthronement in health boosts education and vice versa ( summit, 2007). In Miguel and Kremers 2004 paper they examine the effect of de-worming designs on Kenyan ancient develop kids. The investigation, which randomized more than 75 schools, shows that the de-worming bring down absenteeism from school by one-quarter in the discourse group and also improved health and school participation in students who were not include in the program (Miguel & Kremer, 2004).In 2005 at the UNs World Summit, the supranational community pledged half the cedeoff of people living in extreme poverty by 2015 outlining the Millennium suppuration Goals (MDGs). These are a series of eight-spot dead lined targets, most of which gallery to eradicate the root causes of poverty worldwide. These goals high spot the main forms in which poverty erupts aridness, education, inequality and various health related problems. These are therefore the main areas that coronation is make to reduce poverty (UNFPA, 2005). The eight MDGs are eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, Achieving ordinary primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reduction child mortality evaluate, improving enatic health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability, and developing a global partnership for development. looking at at these MDGs, which area of enthronement would be most trenchant in reducing poverty? You can see from the above goals that health is a dominant issue, as many of the goals can be attributed to health deficiency problems. It is also true that hunger is whitethornbe the most important and fundamental form of poverty and so essential be invested in foremost. Strong investment in improved agriculture practices and engineering science can stabi lise extreme hunger and famine. Gender equality is vital for planetary welfare of all people but it also gives women an equal control within marriages and families helping to reduce birth rates and HIV levels. When women can negotiate their productive health decisions with men, this gives them greater rights and increased decision-making in families and communities that benefits all.This enables people to collapse fewer children and helps to set more or less development. The average per-capita income increases, as families are smaller and income is shared. Also countries with the most rapid increases in nation and the high fertility levels largely have the highest poverty levels (UNFPA, 2005). In my opinion education is the most efficient investment. As soundly as being a major component of growth and development it also provides a foundation for all the other battles against poverty. Health and education are invariably interconnected. Educating and informing people to co n about and maintain their own health is as important as the music and infrastructure provided.It also provides an educated population to provide future health resources. fostering also gives sustainability to policies aimed at eradicating hunger and starving e.g. modern agricultural methods. A well founded education system is a political platform to give men and women the knowledge and development needed to combat overpopulation and the spread of stultify diseases such as HIV/AIDS. In any form method of fighting poverty the quality is just as important as quantity. There is curt pip in continued investment in these areas if there are not efforts made to remove and improve on the current inefficiencies. With both education and health many problems have arisen from poor performance of programs. The lack of fine and accurate systems has seen a lot of invested resources squandered.Absenteeism has been the plight of both health and education efforts in developing countries sy stematically worldwide. In Uganda 27% of teachers were found to be absent on a periodic basis. Likewise, in Indonesia, 40% absenteeism in primary health clinics was occurring daily (Pratham, 2006). Furthermore, withal teachers who seem may not in reality be in class in India, only two-thirds of teachers present in school were actually teaching (Kremer et al, 2004). So what is going ill-treat? Firstly, there doesnt seem to be any strong repercussions for teachers with poor attention. In a survey of 3000 Indian authorities schools astonishingly only one school reported firing a teacher for poor attendance (Pratham, 2006).There are certainly systems in place whereby theoretically, supervisors write down absences and deal out penaltys accordingly. Some even apply this on an incentivised reward and punishment basis. However most studies reflect that schemes implemented with a supervisor making judgements at his/her own delicacy, do not work. This may seem like a more feasible system, allowing a human atom to determine the severity or echt nature of the reasons for absent teachers. But absences in local communities responsible for self-monitoring and accountability were just now not reported (Pratham, 2006). It is evident that institutions providing prevalent services are very composite plant and focusing on the details counts.Governments and organisations problematic in these areas have to continuously aline and innovate the systems to fit there region, country and people. There are systems that do appear to be working. They are most notably impersonally monitored and accounted. One study in Rajastan, India where machines were used to check teachers in and provided an incentivised pay system based on attendance with immaterial monitoring. This cut the growing problem with attendance in half (Seva Mandir, NGO). amazingly some of the most successful systems are not teacher incentivised. For example a girls scholarship program run in Kenya offered s cholarships based on high test scores.The result showed a large academic improvement throughout the age group, even boys not included in the scholarship improved their attach dramatically. There was also a square rise in attendance of teachers, though causality cannot be guaranteed, this is presumably payable to increased student motivation to remove (Kremer, Miguel, & Thornton, 2007) Often the most absentee reducing methods are found to be the most hail effective also. What is for certain is that supervisors cannot be allowed discretion to determine rewards. The system must be impersonal. Successful application of such systems can be found in brazil and Mexico. In Brazil it is cognise as conditional cash transfer (CCT), this musical theme was based on Mexicos current Progressa system. It provides financial support to families for food, school and medical examination expenses and is weighted dependant on the attendance level (Economist, 2005).Another system known as local accountability with teeth, where locals have the authority to hire and disregard themselves has also a lot of emf and most importantly it reduces cost of financial incentive (MIT, 2010). This problem has been subject to great debate and investigation amid governments and agencies involved with the reduction of poverty in the developing world. It is widely acknowledged that improvements in the absentee rate in both schools and health care centres would baksheesh to better living standards in seek countries. A 2008 study showed that when teacher attendance rose from 58-79% this coincided with a 7% point increase in the number of girls able to write (Duflo, Hanna & Ryan, 2008).However it is not as clear if amendments to absentee levels in health care pass away to more patients attending clinics (Bjorkman & Svensson, 2007). According to a similar surprise survey hear to schools and healthcare centres on India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Uganda, Ecuador and Peru checking up on attend ance changes and their affects, the results showed a doubling of the countrys gross domestic product resulted in an 8% pt. decline in education absences and only a 3.8% pt. fall in healthcare absences(Chauhury et al, 2006). This shows that whilst health and education both have positive responses to improved attendances, education changes have a stronger positive relationship with GDP (Income) than the health attendance changes.Having read and canvas a number of papers and articles on the issue, I am of the opinion that investment in education is the most effective way to reduce poverty. Whilst health issues dominate the main forms that poverty appears in, I odor that a sustainable and affective health system can only be established after there is a strong foundation of education already in place. The same can be said for all problems associated with poverty and so the returns on education investment are wide reaching and long lasting. genteelness also has a more effective respon se to investment and absentee improvements than health.It is the basis for a countries future stability every developed country in todays world has a strong education system right up to tertiary level. It is crucial investment needed by developing countries to have and advance basic education services to help fabricate all facets of a countries growth. With a more educated population the problems at the grow of poverty can be tackled. Starvation, disease, gender equality, income and the overall quality of life can improve and be maintained without external aid. This is why I think the statement is correct that investing in education is the most effective way to reduce poverty.Bibliography* Lecture slides EC3040A, Tara Mitchell, 2012* Human Rights, Health & Poverty Reduction Strategies, World Health Organisation 2008 * Reducing Poverty and achieving Sustainable Development, unify Nations Population Fund, 2005 * Growth and human uppercase good data, good results, D.Cohen & M. Sot o 2007 * Penn World Table, magnetic variation 6.2, Centre for International Comparisons of Production, Income & Price A. Heston, R. Summers, & B. Aten, 2006 * disagreement is bad for the poor, M. Ravallion, World Bank, 2005 * Education, Health and Development, D. Bloom 2007* Fighting Poverty What Works? Pratham 2006* miss in action Teacher and Health work absence in developing countries, N. Chaudhury, J. Hammer, M. Kremer, K. Muralidharam & F. Halsey Rogers 2006 * Power of the people Evidence from a randomized field experiment of a community based monitoring get wind in Uganda, M. Bjorkman & J. Svensson 2007 * Incentives to Learn, M. Kremer, E. Miguel, R. Thornton 2007 * New thinking about an old problem, The Economist 2005* Poverty feat Lab, Abdul Latif Jameel, MIT 2010