Abstract
The New Poverty Agenda is said to represent a break with the past and to offer a
rationale for aid that is built on partnerships towards a common and realizable goal
- the elimination of poverty. However, recent critiques have highlighted problems
with the practice of poverty policy, and particularly limitations identified from
its association with global actors which stand accused of contributing to poverty.
For some, there is no new agenda; a poverty focus merely represents a different path
to the same ends (i.e., political reform and economic adjustment). This paper
investigates the implications for smaller donors, such as Australia and New Zealand,
of adopting poverty policy as defined by the World Bank and others. It argues that
certain contexts, such as the Pacific, demonstrate the weaknesses of an
all-encompassing policy that remains muddled and contradictory. In terms of
effective partnerships, much more could be gained by first seeking to learn more
about the nature of poverty in the immediate region and its underlying causes.