Shared prosperity and the mitigation of poverty : in practice and in precept

The World Bank Group recently adopted two overarching goals -- the end of extreme, chronic poverty in the world by 2030 and the promotion of shared prosperity in every society. The paper examines the normative properties of these goals, their strengths and weaknesses, and their implications for actual policymaking, especially in the presence of globalization. This is closely related to the age-old debate on growth versus direct welfare interventions as instruments for countering poverty. The paper analyzes past trends on poverty and tries to shed new light on this old debate.