Issue: Whether the concept of governance explains the contemporary development problem of poverty
Introduction
The United Nations Millennium Campaign and Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) projected over 67 million people around the world to join in the Stand Up and Take Action against Poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals in over 2,000 events across more than 100 countries from October 17-19 this year (Stand Against Poverty website, 2008). The figure represents about one percent of the world’s population and signifies the growing demand for leaders to make good on their promises to eradicate extreme poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 (Stand Against Poverty website, 2008).
“The unprecedented mobilisation is being held at a time when hundreds of billions of dollars are being found to bail out wealthy bankers and financial institutions, while the emergency summit on the MDGs held at the United Nations last week was only able to generate US$16 billion in commitments to ending poverty” (Afrique en Ligne website, 2008).
This blatant display of a lopsided and far-from-judicious set of priorities among world leaders draws a basic insight as to how states and the organizations of such are currently operating through its institutions, rules and systems that in the end inform decisions, policies, or commitments towards addressing the global issue of poverty.
"Governance", the way institutions, rules and systems of the state operate at central and local level and how the state relates to ordinary people, has become a central theme in poverty reduction (ITAD website, 2008).
