Good political governance is at the heart of the relationship between poverty and governance,'' he says. But ''there is still a lingering debate about the virtues of authoritarian rule in the removal of poverty, but such debates define poverty only in terms of material consumption levels, neglecting human rights''. Governance, in many ways, has to first avoid exacerbating the problem that poor households face. The conflicts inherent in any society between the rich and powerful groups and the poor must be understood. There is no natural harmony in societies.
Democracy is no vaccination against poverty.
If there is no democracy and accountability, poverty alleviation programmes are unsuccessful. Selection of IPS features on Development, Environment and Human Rights issues. These stories may not be reprinted, reposted nor stored in any form without written permission from IPS-Inter Press Service. We welcome your comments and information.