budgeting
Sometimes the Truth Hurts
Is it mean to suggest that poor people may be responsible for their own poverty? New York Times writer Nicholas Kristof is willing to risk that label. He recently suggested that the poor could often improve their situations dramatically just by budgeting:
Look, I don’t want to be an unctuous party-pooper. But I’ve seen too many children dying of malaria for want of a bed net that the father tells me is unaffordable, even as he spends larger sums on liquor. If we want Mr. Obamza’s children to get an education and sleep under a bed net — well, the simplest option is for their dad to spend fewer evenings in the bar.
And Kristof isn't the only one that thinks this. Two economists at M.I.T. reportedly found that the poor spend roughly two percent of their income on their children's education and anywhere from 4 to 8 percent on alcohol and tobacco. Sodas, festivals and prostitutes are also popular ways to blow a paycheck.
However, Kristof does present a few solutions to help the poor cope with their daily expenses, such as microsavings programs that give women more control over the family budget. The most helpful aspect of this article, however, is the refreshingly honest tone it brings to the discussion on development and poverty.
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