Poverty reduction efforts in Malawi pivot on the twin strategies of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and decentralisation. Yet researchers argue that the Malawi PRSP represents a mixture of policies and generalities that could equally well have appeared in any strategic document of the past 30 years. A paper from the University of East Anglia’s Overseas Development Group takes a sceptical view of the PRSP and decentralisation processes in Malawi. The authors argue that PRSP-generated poverty indicators cannot reveal causes and effects regarding the opportunities and constraints experienced by citizens. The report shows that creating an enabling environment for people to construct their own routes out of poverty may be prevalent in many PRSPs, but the nature of public sector roles and modes of conduct required to build such an enabling environment are poorly articulated by both donors and governments.
Poverty and health
Proper nutrition is a powerful good: people who are well-fed are generally healthy. Healthy women can lead more fulfilling lives; healthy children learn more in school and out. Good nutrition benefits families, their communities and the world as a whole. Malnutrition is, by the same logic, devastating. It plays a part in more than half of all child deaths worldwide. It perpetuates poverty. Malnutrition blunts the intellect and saps the productivity of everyone it touches, said a new report released by Unicef for the World Economic Forum.
Long-term and vigorously pursued redistributive strategies and policy frameworks are key to eradicating poverty and inequality in South Africa. In addition, sustainable poverty eradication programmes ought to be elaborated within a broader redistributive framework within which development activities would be located. This would also create space for winning back the support of civil society, according to a paper from the Southern African Regional Poverty Network that reviews the status of poverty and inequality in South Africa before exploring the contestation over how to lessen both.
What effect does the degree of a family's poverty have on the health of young children? Are girls the losers when it comes to healthcare in Tanzania? The Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre, together with colleagues from research groups in six countries, studied health care for children under five in poor rural areas of southern Tanzania.