-Caveat Lector- ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1999 21:00:30 -0500 World Bank Aims at Living Standards By HARRY DUNPHY Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The ranks of poor people around the globe will increase in the next century, the World Bank said in an annual report that proposes new thinking to help governments improve living standards. The World Development Report also says that whether a country succeeds in the 21st century will depend on how well it manages the twin forces of globalization and localization - the growing economic and political power of cities, provinces and other entities. Joseph Stiglitz, the bank's chief economist, told a news conference in Washington on Wednesday, that while there has been progress in eliminating poverty in some areas, particularly East Asia, there have been setbacks in other regions, such as Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union. He said 50 percent of Russia's population was living in poverty compared with a little more than 2 percent in the early 1990s. ``We aren't winning the battle,'' Stiglitz said. ``Poverty is increasing.'' The report said that at the start of 2000, an estimated 1.5 billion people will subsist on the equivalent of a dollar a day, up from 1.2 billion in 1997. By 2015, the number below this international poverty line could reach 1.9 billion. Stiglitz said the rising numbers should not cause despair but challenge governments and international organizations to come up with new solutions. He said one of the main lessons of the past 50 years is that economic ``growth does not trickle down. There is no magic cookie cutter solution that can be imposed from the top. Development must address human needs directly.'' The report said the rising number of people living in poverty can be reversed ``by harnessing the forces of globalization and localization in the 21st century.'' The bank's client countries, which are home to the world's poorest people, are likely to have the most difficulty managing these forces, the report said. ``Globalization can be thought of as a giant wave that can either capsize countries or carry them forward on its crest,'' Stiglitz said. ``Successful localization creates a situation where local groups in society - the crew of the boat - are free to exercise individual autonomy but also have incentives to work together.'' The report envisions developing countries entering the global marketplace with their economies strengthened by more-efficient and empowered local governments. ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj. -- To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "unsubscribe" in the Subject line. Send complaints that can't be resolved by unsubscribing to [EMAIL PROTECTED] DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
