Institute of Development Studies

Do we need to change the way we fight global poverty?

18 July 2011

“Is our approach to tackling global poverty fit for purpose? No, it’s not”. 

This is what Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Research Fellow Professor Allister McGregor told those attending a meeting in the House of Commons. The Dangerous Ideas seminar jointly organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Debt, Aid and Trade, IDS and the Beyond 2015 global campaign brought together parliamentarians, NGOs and academics to discuss whether our current poverty strategies are effective, and what, if anything, should replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015.

Fit for purpose?

Professor McGregor argued that our current approach to tackling global poverty was based upon an outdated model of poverty conceived in the 19^th century. He proposed that we can no longer think about poverty simply in terms of material deprivation. We need to move towards a broader concept of a person' 'wellbeing' that needs to be central to whatever replaces the MDGs.

The voice of the poor

Echoing some of Professor McGregor's comments, Kudakwashe Dube, Chief Executive of the Secretariat of African Decade of Persons with Disabilities stressed that whatever replaces the MDGs must be based on the “heartbeat of the village”, and address what poor people actually want and need.  Mr Dube argued that the voice of the poor had not been articulated by the original goals.  He said that his organisation was calling for a replacement to the MDGs which was “more punchy” and “more binding” on both developing and developed nations.

Future predictions

Amy Pollard, Lead Analyst at CAFOD and member of the Beyond 2015 global campaign steering group highlighted a piece of work undertaken jointly by CAFOD and IDS. The 100 Voices project brought together perspectives from developing countries on the success of the MDGs and what should come next?

Amy highlighted findings from the project which indicated that any agreement post 2015 needed to be developed in partnership between the North and the South. Dr Pollard outlined several different scenarios for what could replace the MDGs. These included:

• a UN led binding framework;
• a framework constructed by academics and civil society organisations which they would  then need to persuade governments to adopt;
• a situation where different organisations such as the G20 and G7 take responsibility for designing separate parts of the framework;
• no framework at all.