Asking the Experts: What is Poverty?
Some 60,000 poor men, women and children speak out in ground-breaking study.

	Nine-year-old Asaschagne Tesfaye and his brother live alone in this crumbling shack in an Ethiopian community suffering from leprosy. Their mother died the day before this photograph was taken, leaving the two children orphaned.

Most experts involved in the study of poverty thought they knew what poor people needed...until they asked them. In an unprecedented study, World Bank researchers embarked on a quest in 1999 to meet with the real experts on poverty: the poor.

The resulting three volumes comprising Voices of the Poor, report on the views, experiences and aspirations of some 60,000 poor men, women and children from 60 countries. The work, undertaken for the World Development Report 2000/01 on the theme of poverty and development, sought to present the realities of the poor in their own words.

Based on fieldwork from around the world, this study took a different tack than most other large-scale poverty studies. This research utilized participatory and qualitative research methods to uncover the harsh ordeals faced by the poor. It sought to answer questions such as: How do poor people view poverty and well-being? What are their problems and priorities? What is their experience with the institutions of the state, markets and civil society? How are gender relations faring within households and communities?

	Excerpt from "Can Anyone Hear Us?": "Poverty is pain. Poor people suffer physical pain that comes with too little food and long hours of work; emotional pain stemming from the daily humiliations of dependency and lack of power; and the moral pain from being forced to make choices-such as whether to use limited funds to save the life of an ill family member, or to use those same funds to feed their children. If poverty is so painful, why do the poor remain poor? The poor are not lazy, stupid or corrupt-why, then, is poverty so persistent?"

"Poverty is not a lack of income," says Deepa Narayan, senior adviser of the World Bank's Poverty Group, as well as Voices of the Poor author and research team leader. "It is a difference in opportunity and a lack of belonging, it is feeling insecure and being treated with disrespect. ...What's needed is to create opportunities for people. Equality of opportunity is a myth. ...Depending on where you get born or who you are born to, you will have more or fewer obstacles to cross."

The first two volumes in the series focus on poverty patterns revealed in different countries. "We thought that poverty would be different in different contexts," says Narayan, "but there are striking common themes related to material well-being and to the lack of power and voice."

"Specifically, Voices' first volume, "Can Anyone Hear Us?," defines poverty as it identifies common poverty patterns around the globe, such as hunger, deprivation, powerlessness, violation of dignity, social isolation, resilience, resourcefulness, solidarity, state corruption, rudeness of service providers and gender inequity. In a haunting reality check, it is clear that despite the efforts of many, the population of the poor today is increasing: a staggering 1.2 billion people are living on less than $1 a day and 2.8 billion are living on $2 a day.

The second book, "Crying Out for Change," draws on fieldwork from 23 countries, exploring 10 dimensions of powerlessness and "ill being." From the perspective of the poor, a bad quality of life is more than simply material poverty. Many connected dimensions conspire against the poor, making it nearly impossible to break out of the vicious cycle.

"Don't ask me what poverty is because you have met it outside my house. Look at the house and count the number of holes. Look at my utensils and the clothes that I am wearing. Look at everything and write what you see. What you see is poverty." —A poor man, Kenya

And published earlier this year, "From Many Lands," focuses on the diversity of poverty in 14 countries, presenting the real-life experiences of people worn down by persistent deprivation. The stories reveal some of the reasons why poor people remain poor, despite working long and hard every day of their lives. It concludes with an emphasis on the need to empower the poor.

"Poor people are not the problem, they are the resources and the assets," says Narayan. "The problem is poverty."

The three-volume Voices of the Poor series is available by calling (800) 645-7247 or (703) 661-1580; by fax (703) 661-1501; or by going online to http://publications.worldbank. org/howtoorder. Key findings in addition to the complete report (available in PDF format) are available by visiting: http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/voices/index.htm.

—Milana McLead