Attacking Poverty:

In this note I would like to approach the question posed in the title, and in the literature, from a purely consequentialist perspective. In other words, I want to ask, would treating extreme poverty as a violation of human rights actually lead to a reduction in poverty, or at least lead to the conditions which would in turn lead to a reduction in poverty? This is not to minimize or deny the importance of deontological arguments and intuitions in the great debates on human rights, and the relevance of criteria other than simple outcomes for evaluating policy proposals. Rather, I think the consequentialist strand of argument exposes a number of issues that any discussion of poverty and human rights will have to take account of. At any rate, it is a route work exploring, and one that is indeed explored in the debate.