A Lifetime in Poverty Reduction
For more than half a century, my life and work have been intertwined with one central question: how do we actually reduce poverty?
I have seen poverty not as an abstract number in an economist’s table but as a daily struggle for millions of families—for food, for dignity, for opportunity. I have also witnessed, up close, the resilience of the poor and the ways in which communities, organizations, and governments have found pathways out of poverty.
Why Share Now?
What strikes me, however, is how often these real experiences remain hidden from the larger conversation. Economists and policymakers debate theories, models, and ideologies—sometimes detached from what truly works on the ground. Too often, their assumptions about markets, incentives, or “trickle down” benefits have left the poor behind.
This blog series is my attempt to bring the two together—lived experience and economic thought. I want to share what I have learned, what I have seen succeed, and where I believe economists went wrong. Not as an abstract critique, but as a way of showing how real-life experiences challenge false assumptions—and point us toward what actually works.
An Invitation
I hope to write weekly, sharing my lifetime experience of poverty reduction through the health and development programmes of RUHSA, promoted by Christian Medical College, Vellore, India. I also link this experience to the poverty reduction witnessed in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
Along the way, I will reflect on the flawed assumptions of mainstream economics and highlight organizations and people who are quietly making a difference.
I invite you to walk with me in this exploration. My hope is that these writings will not just inform but spark dialogue—because reducing poverty is not the task of one discipline or one generation. It is humanity’s shared responsibility.
Rajaratnam Abel 