Voices of the Poor is a major new study of poverty in the poorest countries in the world, based on interviews with 60,000 poor people in more than 50 countries over the period 1992 to 1999. The study, claim World Bank Group president James Wolfensohn and UK secretary of state for international development Clare Short, presents a uniquely 'authentic' perspective on poverty. Historically', concludes Voices of the Poor , 'many development professionals have given priority to the material aspect of people's lives'. However, 'reflecting on the experiences of poor men and women' has 'driven' the researchers to 'revisit the meaning of development'. Money', the report notes, 'is mentioned less frequently than one might expect'.
Love is more than anything.
Wellbeing, not wealth, is apparently the poor's desired outcome of development. Wellbeing, the study helpfully clarifies, is a concept which has 'a psychological and spiritual dimension as a mental state of harmony, happiness and peace of mind'. The study goes on to draw attention to the frequent observation by its study teams that many poor communities are welcoming, hospitable and have well-developed social networks. From this it concludes that people, for example, in indigenous rural populations, 'appear happier despite greater poverty'. The voices of the poor have, it is claimed by this study, called for a reconceptualisation of the meaning of development.