By Dr. Kevin Lau
To effectively address poverty, poverty alleviation efforts must employ precision as a strategy. It is crucial to accurately identify the target groups most in need of poverty alleviation services, propose targeted and appropriate poverty alleviation projects, and establish more meaningful and indicative "poverty lines" As an non-official member of the Commission on Poverty, I strongly agree with these "technical" aspects and have invested considerable effort in their discussion and formulation.
However, I believe that for poverty alleviation efforts to succeed, there must be some consensus in society that goes beyond the "technical" aspects. First and foremost, Hong Kong is an advanced and prosperous developed economy. While poverty is still a social issue in Hong Kong, the approach to solving it differs somewhat from that of developing countries. In developing countries, the most urgent issues to address may involve "absolute poverty" such as insufficient food and lack of clean drinking water. However, the most pressing issue currently plaguing Hong Kong seems to be the aspect of "relative poverty."
Developed economies are relatively affluent, and the wealth created by society should be shared by the majority of people. If prosperity and wealth only benefit a small portion of the population while leaving others behind, it not only leads to socioeconomic inequality but also undermines the foundation of social stability, akin to a time bomb. Therefore, Hong Kong society must reach a consensus on sharing prosperity as a prerequisite for effectively eliminating poverty.
So, how should a developed economy go about poverty alleviation? Firstly, poverty tends to affect populations engaged in non-technical and labor-intensive sectors. Therefore, short-term poverty eradication efforts must focus on increasing the demand for non-technical and labor-intensive occupations. In the long run, poverty alleviation must be based on establishing a consensus on shared prosperity in society and continuously enhancing social productivity. Over-reliance on monetary subsidies for poverty alleviation would impose a heavy burden on the economy. Instead, the government should lead by stimulating economic development, naturally creating more employment opportunities, and ultimately benefiting the poor and vulnerable groups.
Lastly, I believe that shared prosperity must be built on the foundation of green growth. If a society solely focuses on economic development while turning a blind eye to environmental challenges such as resource depletion, ecosystem degradation, and climate change, the prosperity it creates cannot be sustainable.
The author is a specialist in radiology, with a master degree of Public Health from the University of Hong Kong, and an adviser of Our Hong Kong Foundation.
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