> We've just been lifting many hundred millions of people out of poverty in China, India, South-East Asia and elsewhere, but what does this have to do with "enriching the poor"?

I love this line of thinking because it always shows someone has put forth no effort into what the "poverty reduction" means. The International Poverty line has been $1.90/day. So, if you make the equivalent of $1.90 in your country or higher, then you are not in poverty. Now how about you go and do some work and see how nutritionally complete your diet will be on $1.90.

> I love this line of thinking because it always shows someone has just guzzled from the gutter of ideology.

I somewhat disagree with zozbot and I agree with your material analysis (I'd add something about the rising Gini indices in the mentioned developing nations), but this sentence adds nothing to the conversation.

In Europe? well, that's most of a donor kebab in Berlin, so not terrible ;)

In Cambodia... I could easily feed myself on $1.90 a day, if I wasn't white and getting barang (foreigner) prices.

No, you get local prices adjusted to 1.90$

As much as I love Döner, half of one isn't nutritionally complete.

As I understand it, the poverty line is $1.90 in USD. Not in local currency, and not adjusted for local prices. Which is why it sounds like anyone living in poverty should starve to death within a week, but they actually don't (because $.190 isn't comfortable in Cambodia, for sure, but if you get local prices you won't starve to death in a week).

OK, half a kebab and a few beers. Many's the time I've woken up to empty beeer bottles and a half-eaten kebab and I haven't starved to death ;)

Im not sure suffering works that way. Someone in East Asia who is poor but has a loving family, community, autonomy, and meaning may be better of then a relatively rich Westerner who lacks those things.

That's part of my point, of course - that material resources are clearly important when you're talking about someone who's truly in extreme poverty, but it's not clear whether going beyond this point matters that much more than, say, better social inclusion etc.