War on Global Poverty: The Lost Promise of Redistribution and the Rise of Microcredit

The US involvement in late twentieth-century campaigns against global poverty focused on women as the deserving poor, with antipoverty programs increasingly focusing on women as economic actors who could help lift families and nations out of destitution.

Format: Hardback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 20 April 2021
Publisher: Princeton University Press

A fresh and comprehensive account of the United States' involvement in campaigns to end global poverty in the 1970s and 1980s is provided in Joanne Meyerowitz's book, A War on Global Poverty. The book goes beyond the standard narratives of development and delves into the reasons why antipoverty programs increasingly focused on women as the deserving poor.

When the United States joined the war on global poverty, economists, policymakers, and activists were faced with the challenge of addressing a world where millions lived in need. Influenced by socialists, social democrats, and religious humanists, who were motivated by a desire to address inequities both within and between nations, they rejected the notion that economic growth would automatically benefit the poor. Instead, they proposed a range of programs aimed at redressing these imbalances.

One significant aspect of this approach was the emergence of the "women in development" movement. Development experts and antipoverty advocates recognized the economic potential of women and positioned them as economic actors who could play a crucial role in lifting families and nations out of poverty. Women were seen as agents of change, capable of contributing to the development of their communities and economies.

In the more conservative 1980s, the war on global poverty shifted its focus towards market-based projects in the private sector. Development experts and antipoverty advocates recast women as entrepreneurs and envisioned microcredit as a grassroots solution to poverty. Microcredit loans, which were small in size and offered to impoverished women, were seen as a way to empower them and enable them to start their own businesses.

Meyerowitz's book is based on a wealth of sources, providing a detailed and insightful account of this critical transformation in antipoverty efforts in the late twentieth century. The book examines the legacies of this shift and explores the impact that it has had on women and their communities. It raises important questions about the role of the state, the private sector, and civil society in addressing global poverty and highlights the need for a more holistic and gender-responsive approach to development.

In conclusion, A War on Global Poverty offers a valuable contribution to our understanding of the United States' involvement in campaigns to end global poverty. By examining the reasons why antipoverty programs focused on women and the shift towards market-based projects in the private sector, the book provides a fresh perspective on a critical period in global development. It highlights the importance of gender equality and the role of women as agents of change in addressing poverty and promoting sustainable development.

Weight: 702g
Dimension: 246 x 165 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691206332