The Poverty Paradox for Philippines Case Study- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theThe Poverty Paradox for Philippines Case Study. Answer: Introduction In the modern world that we are living today, poverty is one of the subjects that have been given much attention by both scholars and researchers. This fact maybe because it has caused tremendous effects around the globe, not only from developing countries but also some areas in the developed countries. Poverty is about not having enough money for basic needs such as food clothing and shelter. Poverty has various definitions according to different schools of thought. However, the baseline is the same; that poverty has distinguishing characteristics like lack of basic needs hence inability to acquire or even think of secondary needs such as recreation. Research shows that over 3 billion people in the world live on a daily expenditure of less than $2.5. The research further shows that more than 50% of the world's population is living in abject poverty. As a result, it, therefore, becomes imperative to explore the topic. This research essay is aimed at looking at the paradox of poverty in the Philippines. Overview of Philippines Philippine is a tropical country located in the Pacific Ocean. It has 7,107 islands, and it lies in the western Pacific Ocean. It borders Taiwan to the north and Vietnam to the west. By surface area, Philippine is believed to be the 73rd largest country in the world having a population of 78 million people. It is the 7th populous country in Asia and the 13th most populous in the world. Manila is its capital city, and it hosts most of its educational and political institutions. Its economy has gotten stronger in the recent years and has remained dynamic(Datt, 2016). The percentage of people living in abject poverty in the country is currently 33% of the total population and 75% in some parts in the southern Philippines. What are the main causes of poverty in Philippines? Philippine, like any other countries, has the reasons as to why most of its population is living below the poverty line in spite of the fact that it is the leading producer of coconuts in the world. One of these causes is underutilization of natural resources(Agbola, 2017). Philippine is endowed with natural resources such as copper, gold, and zinc. In fact, its mineral deposits are the largest in the world. However, steps to utilize these natural resources have not been taken seriously. It is believed that the value of its mineral deposits is more than USD 849 billion(Mina, 2017). If steps were taken to exploit these natural resources, then the Philippines would be one of the richest countries, the reason being it will be able to provide enough food for its residents and more importantly enough job opportunities. Another major cause of poverty is political instability. Since President Ridrigon Duterte took office, Philippine has faced a never-ending line of political instability. Political instability leads to low productivity in the domestic industries and this lead to a decline the country's Gross Domestic Product and therefore per capita income(Mendoza, 2016). Political instability also scares away foreign investors who would have come to invest in the country and contribute to increased job opportunities hence reducing poverty. Does economic and population growth increase poverty? Another major cause of poverty in Philippine is a low pace of economic growth. Over the past 40 years, the country has experienced slow economic growth, and this has increased the poverty level. Another cause has been lack of poverty reduction strategies. Usually, when a country realizes that it is experiencing high poverty level, it lays out strategies towards the reduction of the poverty level(Rola, 2017). However, Philippine's government has been slow in taking corrective measures. Another main cause has been a weakness in the creation of employment as well as the quality of the jobs created. The Philippine government and citizens have not been able to come up good strategies that can provide quality jobs in the attempt to reduce the poverty level. One and the major cause of poverty in Philippine is increased and uncontrolled population growth. Over the recent past, the population of Philippine has been growing rapidly and uncontrollably. This growth has resulted to pressure in the consumption of the available resources and increased dependency ratio(Albert, 2014). The resultant effect of the same is poverty. Another cause is chronic exposure to risks such as natural disasters. Philippine has quite some active volcanoes that recurrently erupt. This disaster has caused uncertainty where people are not willing to invest in a particular place in fear of these disasters hence poverty. How has poverty affected Philippines? The poverty menace has resulted in some effects. One of these effects is malnutrition. The National Statistical Coordination board says that more than 11 million Filipinos are food poor and living below the subsistence level. Due to poverty, most of the people have not been able to get good enough and thus they have become malnourished. Research shows that due to food insecurity most of the preschool children are underweight and malnourished. Another effect is poor economic growth(Rosellon, 2016). Since most of the people are poor, they have nothing to invest in education, new crops, entrepreneurial activities or even skills. Moreover, they have little or no knowledge of market opportunities hence poor economic growth. Is increased child labor and theft as a result of poverty? Another effect is child labor. Statistics show that 3.6 million Filipino children between 5-17 years are child laborers. When parents lack enough money to educate them, they are left with no other option rather than going to streets to look for money for their upkeep and basic needs(Antoni, 2017). These children can be found laboring under the hot sun or even behind machines in small companies. Another effect is poor living conditions. That results from overcrowding and congestion due to increased population growth. Another major impact is crime and theft. Many people in the Philippines cant get enough money for their sustenance. As a result, they decide to do whatever it takes to provide for their families, and this includes stealing and robbery with violence. Research has proven that the major causes of theft and crime in Philippine are poverty. How about poverty and emerging issues? Poverty has also caused global warming and climate change(Sasaki, 2017). It has led to clear-cutting down of trees, something that has brought about desertification. Lack of trees causes global warming in the sense that there are no trees to absorb waste gases such as co2 released to the environment. Cutting down of trees also leads to lack of rain and therefore climate change. Solutions and conclusion The answer to the menace of poverty in Philippine is strategic planning. A board that will lay out poverty reduction strategies must be formed to tackle the matter. In providing solutions, the primary causes of poverty must be established from where strategies for closing the loopholes will be implemented. Poverty reduction is one of the sustainability goals, and it should be therefore dealt with urgently. Conclusively, the answer to the problem lies in the problem. Countering the causes of poverty will lead to better living in the Philippines. References Agbola, F., 2017. Does microfinance reduce poverty? New evidence from Northeastern Mindanao, the Philippines. Journal of rural studies, 9(5), pp.56-89. Albert, J., 2014. Urban and Rural Households Energy Use. Sets, Shocks, and Strategies in the Philippines, 5(7), pp.52-65. Antoni, S., 2017. Bladder cancer incidence and mortality. A global overview and recent trends, 4(8), pp.50-87. Datt, G., 2016. Multidimensional Poverty in the Philippines. Make choices for weighting, identification and aggregation matter?, 6(89), pp.5-15. Mendoza, R., 2016. Political dynasties and poverty: measurement and evidence of linkages in the Philippines. Oxford Development Studies, 5(8), pp.77-89. Mina, C., 2017. Estimation of vulnerability to poverty using a multilevel longitudinal model: Evidence from the Philippines. The Journal of Development Studies, 46(88), pp.45-76. Rola, A., 2017. Water Resources in the Philippines: Overview and Framework of Analysis. In Water Policy in the Philippines, 4(8), pp.37-57. Rosellon, M., 2016. Macroeconomic Overview of the Philippines and the New Industrial Policy. Journal of development, 4(9), pp.34-46. Sasaki, T., 2017. Breeding strategies to improve rice yields: an overview KK Jena and G. Ramkumar, International Rice Research Institute, The Philippines. In Achieving sustainable cultivation of rice Volume, 65(7), pp.54-59.