Why Millions Stay Poor Despite Working Hard
If hard work alone could end poverty, the poorest people in the world would be the richest. Yet millions remain trapped in poverty for generations. Why? In this episode of Newsreel Asia’s explainer series “We the People,” Harshita Rathore examines why poverty cannot be reduced to individual effort or personal choices. Instead, the deeper causes lie in structural inequality, inherited disadvantage, and economic systems that reproduce gaps across generations. We explore key ideas such as path dependency, the Great Gatsby Curve, and the concept of a poverty trap showing how the conditions of birth shape access to education, healthcare, land, and income. The episode also examines how caste, gender, landlessness, weak labour protections, and unequal wealth transfer reinforce long-term inequality. Many of the world’s poorest people are already working long hours. The issue is not effort it is low wages, unstable employment, lack of public services, and policies that fail to protect the vulnerable. Drawing on the ideas of economists like Amartya Sen and Thomas Piketty, this explainer shifts the focus from blaming individuals to questioning institutions and public systems. Watch till the end and tell us, do you think poverty is a personal failure or a structural problem?
LIFE IN LAMKA | Economic Impact of Violence on Kuki - Zo Community in Manipur
Benjamin, a Kuki-Zo man and father of five in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, struggles daily to meet his family's needs amid ongoing ethnic violence. The unrest, which began over a year ago, has severely impacted the state's economy, with retail inflation soaring to 11.63% in November 2023, compared to the national average of 5.55%. The prices of essential goods have skyrocketed in this border district, which remains cut off from the commercial hub of the Meitei-dominant Imphal region, about 60 km away. All goods now come through mountainous terrain, covering a distance of over 800 km. How is Benjamin’s family – and other residents – surviving this economic crisis?
RELUCTANT WARRIORS | Why Manipur's Youth is Picking up Arms
Sawmte, a 17-year-old from the Kuki-Zo tribe in Manipur, is deeply affected by the ethnic violence that erupted involving the majority Meitei community and the Kuki-Zo tribal people on May 3, 2023. On witnessing the attacks on their community by Meitei extremist groups, who were allegedly joined by sections of state police, the Kuki-Zo youth – including some teenagers like Sawmte – have put their dreams on hold to defend their tribal homeland. The ongoing struggle casts a long shadow over Manipur’s future, threatening to shape a generation defined by conflict and division.