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PrintFrom Poverty to Power
A clear manifesto for tackling poverty in the 21st century from Oxfam has hit Australian book stores.
From Poverty to Power, the latest of Oxfam's once-a-decade flagship studies on the state of global poverty, warns that spiralling food and fuel prices have signalled the start of a new "age of scarcity" which could drag millions of people into poverty.
The book calls for urgent action to tackle the huge inequalities that prevent poor people from having access to increasingly scarce resources such as food, fuel and water.
In telling us what can be achieved by ordinary people through organised action, this book generates hope even as it enhances understanding of what is involved in the removal of poverty. The world does need hope as well as the know-how, and we have reason to be grateful for what we get from this important study of a rich collection of collaborative social action.
– Amartya Sen, Honorary Adviser, Oxfam
From Poverty to Power is full of up-to-date research, human stories, statistics, and compelling arguments. We think it’s the state-of-the-art text about the world we live in, and how we can make it a better place for everyone.
Why should you read it?
You can’t afford not to. The problem, simply put, is that if we don’t do something about inequality and poverty now, the world will get more and more unstable. Inequality will reduce standards of living around the world. We’ll all feel the sting.
Without action, we will all increasingly see:
- Rising food and oil prices
- People moving between countries due to flooding, food shortages, or natural disasters (all made worse by climate change)
- Fighting over shrinking resources (also made worse by climate change)
- Wasted opportunities and lives
Growing inequality has a price. And we will all eventually pay it.