The Historical Projections of Poverty Trapped in the Hegemony of the Capitalist Ideology within the Frame of the World Bank's Quasi-War on Poverty

Abstract

The World Bank is an important international institution that plays a role in forming the perception of global poverty and the fight against poverty. Since its foundation, the Bank's approach to the concept of poverty and the policies it proposes to eliminate poverty have undergone radical changes. The study aims to reveal the theoretical and practical dimensions of the Bank's approach to poverty with their evolutionary reflections. In the study, different definitions of the World Bank regarding the concept of poverty will be included in the axis of poverty concept and different depictions of the transformation of poverty-related policies over the years. The development approach the Bank has developed for the last 40 years is likely connected to the neoliberal policies loyal to mainstream (neoclassical) economics principles. Therefore, the emphasis on the problem of poverty put by the Bank for the last few decades consists of representing the same political prescriptions to the world economies to solve the problem. In this context, it can be argued that the policies created by the Bank regarding poverty rely on ideological concerns rather than reality since it is clear that the development discourses effectuated by the Bank over the years and the policies for the elimination of poverty generated accordingly cannot be evaluated independently of the dynamics arising from the efforts of the US to perpetuate its hegemony over the international capitalist system.

Keywords

• Poverty
• World Bank
• Structural Adjustment
• Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers
• Millennium Development Goals.

Dünya Bankası’nın Yoksullukla (Görünürdeki) Mücadelesi Çerçevesinde Kapitalist İdeolojinin Hegemonyası İçine Hapsedilen Yoksulluğun Tarihsel İzdüşümleri

Abstract

Dünya Bankası, küresel yoksulluk algısının oluşumunda ve yoksulluğa yönelik mücadelede rol alan önemli uluslararası kurumlardan biridir. Bankanın kuruluşundan bu yana yoksulluk kavramına bakışı ve yoksulluğun giderilmesine yönelik önerdiği politikalar radikal değişim geçirmiştir. Çalışmanın amacı bankanın yoksullukla ilgili yaklaşımının kuramsal ve pratik boyutlarını evrimsel yansımalarıyla ortaya koymaktır. Çalışmada Dünya Bankası’nın yoksulluk kavramına ilişkin farklı tanımlamaları ve uygulamaları ekseninde yoksulluk kavramının ve yoksullukla ilgili politikaların yıllar içindeki dönüşümünün farklı tasvirlerine yer verilecektir. Bankanın yaklaşık son 40 yıldır geliştirdiği kalkınma anlayışının ana akım (neoklasik) iktisadın prensiplerine sadık olan neoliberal politikalara göbekten bağlı olduğu düşünülmektedir. Dolayısıyla banka tarafından yoksulluk sorunuyla ilgili son birkaç on yıldır sürekli olarak yapılan vurguların, sorunun çözümü için dünya ekonomilerine aynı politik reçetelerin yeniden sunulmasından ibaret olduğu düşünülmektedir. Bu bağlamda banka tarafından yoksullukla ilgili oluşturulan politikaların gerçeklikten çok ideolojik kaygılara dayandığı ileri sürülebilir. Zira bankanın yıllar içinde ürettiği kalkınma söylemlerinin ve buna bağlı olarak oluşturulan yoksulluğun giderilmesine yönelik politikalarının, ABD’nin uluslararası kapitalist sistem üzerindeki hegemonyasını devam ettirme çabalarından doğan dinamiklerden bağımsız değerlendirilemeyeceği açıktır.

Keywords

• Yoksulluk
• Dünya Bankası
• Yapısal Uyum
• Yoksulluğu Azaltma Strateji Belgeleri
• Milenyum Kalkınma Hedefleri.

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