Krishna, Philipsen: Poverty is not Permanent

In the Aeon essay "Poverty is not Permanent," Anirudh Krishna and Dirk Philipsen challenge the conventional view of poverty as a static condition, arguing instead that it is a fluid state shaped by structural forces and individual circumstances. 

Drawing on research from diverse global contexts, they highlight how people frequently move in and out of poverty due to factors like illness, economic shocks, and policy decisions. They critique traditional poverty measures, which fail to capture this dynamic reality, and advocate for policies that address both the causes of downward mobility and the supports needed for sustained escape. Poverty, they argue, is not an inherent trait but a condition that societies can actively reshape.

"To create a more just and equitable society, we need to de-financialise the provision of basic needs," the faculty affiliates of the Duke Center for International Development write. "This means disconnecting essential goods and services from the market economy and recognising that people’s wellbeing is essential to the common good. In other words, we need to start seeing healthcare, education, housing and food as human rights, rather than commodities to be bought and sold."

Header image: To keep warm, the children of Faiz Mahamad and his wife sleep close together. The family fled the war in Helmand province and now survive by collecting cans and rubbish from the streets in Kabul, Afghanistan. When that is not enough, they go out begging; 2022. Photo by Mads Nissen/Politiken/Panos

Anirudh Krishna is the Edgar T. Thompson Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy. His research investigates how poor communities and individuals in developing countries cope with the structural and personal constraints that result in poverty and powerlessness. His most recent book, "The Broken Ladder: The Paradox and the Potential of India’s One-Billion," won the A. K. Coomaraswamy Award of the Association for Asian Studies. Krishna has authored or co-authored seven other books, including "One Illness Away: Why People Become Poor and How they Escape Poverty," and more than 80 journal articles and book chapters.

Dirk Philipsen is an economic historian and political economist at Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy and Department of History. His work and teaching focuses on underlying structural requirements for wellbeing of people and planet. His research includes economic metrics, the history of capitalism, the role of private property, and the promises of a revitalized commons.