Why are the Poor Poor?

My church pastor has defined being poor as not having "enough." That seems a good starting point. But it raises the question, What is enough? I would say that enough means having adequate food for health; adequate clothing and housing to be safe and to function in the society in which one lives; and something left over to enjoy. Provision, protection and pleasure. Those are the basic human needs.

But, however one defines "enough," the question remains--Why do some not have it? Why are some people "poor?"

A lot of ideas are thrown around to explain poverty, including lack of education, lack of opportunity, bad luck, laziness, greed, discrimination, exploitation, social unrest, karma, fate, God’s will, etc. All these reasons may play a part, and many do.

But, however "poor" is defined, the economic explanation for it is always the same: The poor are poor because they do not produce enough to either meet their own needs or to trade for the things they need. In other words, poverty is a production problem. 

So it seems that any effort to address poverty, except those done in the very short term, should in some way address this production problem. This isn’t anything new or ground-shaking. However, those of us who feel that helping the poor should be part of our life’s calling seem to lose sight of it.

There is no good reason why any society cannot come to be productive, or why we should expect any society to be destined to be poor forever. Obviously, if someone is starving, correcting his long-term lack of production is not his most pressing need. At the same time, programs which simply address short-term needs and are not complemented with efforts to improve the productivity of those aided should expect no long-term improvement in the problem. In other words, poverty will continue to be a problem as long as the poor do not, somehow, learn to produce enough for themselves. This, of course, assumes a social order where production is even possible. But, eventually, without production, a society is doomed to poverty and dependency, or worse.

This is not to diminish short-term efforts to help the poor, whether secular or spiritual. Immediate needs must be met, and genuine charity enlarges us all. Further, personal attention to the poor can help them in ways money transfers cannot. An aid worker who cares for the health and feeding of a Third World person may be saving the future leader who turns his village around. A missionary who implants values, faith and confidence in those in her care is affecting the future in ways the biggest check written may not accomplish.

But addressing the long-term poverty problem, though it may begin with placing food in mouths, must continue on to place thoughts in minds. A person or society that is not sufficiently productive will always be dependent on others or will never have enough--or both.