Unfortunately, the author of this piece seems to suffer from the delusion that subsistence life is ideal.
He makes a valid point that our data about poverty prior to 1981 is lacking; however, he completely ignores more telling data, such as infant mortality rates correlated with infrastructure development.
Short version: life _is_ improving for the majority of people on the planet.
He makes a valid point that our data about poverty prior to 1981 is lacking; however, he completely ignores more telling data, such as infant mortality rates correlated with infrastructure development.
Short version: life _is_ improving for the majority of people on the planet.
Recommended reading on the subject:
- _Factfulness_ by Hans Rosling, et al.
- The WHO's health trend data: http://www.searo.who.int/entity/health_situation_trends/en/