Sociology

Poverty forms the most distressing social-economic problem due to its extended negative impact that cuts across the globe while directly and indirectly threatening its very existence.  While definitions of the term poverty remain highly contended ones, sociologists have expressed their concerns over its increasing levels and equally high resilience of negative implications.  Such analysts as Diana (2007) have expressed concerns on the looming danger that the globe would experience if it fails to address the skyrocketing poverty levels.

This essay seeks to examine, evaluate and generate recommendations on some of the following questions and issues.  What are the causes of poverty and how did the problem begin What are the current trends of poverty and their implications Why and how have the current social inequalities remained so large Are there mechanisms that can be used to address the problem of poverty in the globe

Social Inequality and Global Poverty (Between the Developed and Developing Countries)
Social inequality among the different countries has increasingly been pinpointed as one of the major causes of poverty in the globe.  Though sharp differences have equally been evident, Richard (2003) explains that the large gap between the developed and developing nations should be addressed if the problem of poverty is to be effectively solved.  It is worth noting that slightly over three billion of the total world population survives on less than three dollars per day while about 80 of total population lives on less than US  10 per day.  This reduces their ability to afford even the basic life necessities (Sala-Martin, 2006).
 
Anup (2009) indicates that of the total world Gross Domestic Product, the wealthiest countries account for 76 while the low income states account for only 3.3.  Besides, a quarter of the worlds total assets is held by only less than ten million people from the rich countries (Edward, 2009).  In addition to that, while developing countries have unemployment rates of over 30, developed countries on the other hand only record 4 (Diana, 2007).

Edward (2009) reports that about 25, 000 children in the poorest countries die every day due to poverty while further 27 are estimated to be stunted in the same regions.  Unlike in developed countries where over 90 of children have access to education, 72 million of those in developing countries did not attend school in the year 2005 (Anup, 2009).  While most people in the developed countries have enough access to piped water, about 1.1 billion and more 2.6 billion lack adequate access to water or basic sanitation in the developing countries respectively (Diana, 2007). Addressing poverty is therefore a complex issue that requires holistic approach to effectively tackle it.
Figure 1 Poverty Levels in the World (Anup, 2009)
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Comparison of Poverty Levels of the United States and Thailand
As indicated earlier, social inequality is very prominent in the globe such that poverty definition has equally taken divergent outsets.  While the United States poverty level is considered for the people living on less than US  10 per day, Thailand considers people to be poor if they live on less than US  1 per day (Anup, 2009).  In Thailand, about 29 of the total population live in absolute poverty and have no access to basic human services. On the other hand, Edward (2009) indicates that about 50 of the United States will at one point between the ages of 25 to 75 years find themselves below the federal poverty threshold which is often adjusted to reflect inflation rates.  Most Americans will therefore be able to access key human support services even though the federal poverty threshold has been criticized for being exaggerated.

Unlike in the United States where over 90 of the population has access to clean water, Thailand has over fifty percent of its population lacking access to clean water and sanitation (John, 2005).  As indicated earlier, the United States as one of the developed countries has high access to education for both genders.  However, great gender disparity on access to education is evident in Thailand a consideration that has led to the current high levels of prostitution in the country (Richard, 2005).

The American Dream
The American Dream, since its inception, has been highly influential on the peoples livelihoods due to its application from the national social-economic and political point of view.  As the definition of the term goes, it seeks to create a sense of improvement for the different people in the United States for higher economic achievements (Hacker, 2006).).  The current economic divide has however been obstructive towards the dreams objectivity.  With the original objective being to create a level playing ground for all, the current economic divide as Richard (2003) indicates, appears to act on opposing direction.  Notably, the high social class has increasingly assimilated the dominance of key economic units such as industries and privately owned institutions.  Richard (2003) adds that though this notion takes root silently, its implications are strongly felt.  Even after completing university education and gaining enough experience in management, some people have remained on the same social class (middle class) for a long time without shifting upwards.  During the last economic recession, further stagnation was evident as salaries were cut while our positions were greatly threatened.

Factors Contributing to Severity of Poverty
While the actual causes of poverty have indeed been highly debatable, the following considerations are cited to increase its severity.  Globalization, as Hacker (2006) indicates, has weakened the poorer countries economies by exposing their products and services to very harmful competition. Notably, most of the developing countries lack the needed capacity to produce goods that can compete with those from developed countries.  As a result, the open market has great preference for the developed countries products a consideration that has seen poor development in production sectors and consequent poor economic developments.

Though technological development has been cited as one of the most important aspects in the globe due to its ability to make work easier in production, its negative implications are very severe.  Diana (2007) explains that most technological developments are available in the developed countries which consequently increase the quality of their products to further create a competitive advantage over those from developing countries.  Besides, introduction of technological developments such as information technology to some of the poor countries only creates further unemployment as previous workers are laid off.  

Gender inequality, as John (2005) indicates, has remained a major accelerating factor by posting one gender, especially the female to be inferior.  Notably, in most developing countries, especially in Africa and Asia, women are not educated and are considered to be part of the family wealth.  As a result, their literacy levels are very low and they can therefore only perform odd jobs that have poor payments (Richard, 2005).  In other areas, they are highly discriminated in jobs, as men are preferred on the basis of local beliefs and stereotypes.  Minimizing the Global Divide between the Rich and the Poor

Reducing the global divide should take a highly integrated outset to ensure clear objectivity and their attainment.  To begin with, the developing countries should seek to raise the levels of literacy rates in their countries.  By raising education levels, it would be possible to establish a highly focused population with clear understanding of the need for eradicating poverty (John, 2005).   Leadership should further be changed to create a new vision towards reducing the poverty levels.  At this point, it is critical that poor countries facilitate establishment of leadership and management of resources that has long-term objectives of prosperity for all as opposed to the ruling elite.  As Sala-Martin (2006) indicates, the developed nations should further come out to facilitate growth and development for the poor countries with both the resources and human capacity.  Though the notion of the world changing its views towards social equality has remained highly controversial, John (2005) points out that it would be very critical in addressing social inequality.

Conclusion
From the above discussion, this paper concludes by supporting the thesis statement, Poverty forms the most distressing social-economic problem due to its extended negative impacts that cuts across the globe while directly and indirectly threatening its very existence.  It came out from the discussion that there is great social inequality between the rich and poor nations.  Factors causing poverty accelerating poverty should therefore be addressed to eliminate the whole problem in the society.