ABSTRACT
It has never been easy to assess the differences between one area of the world and another in terms of relative well being. Judgements are inevitably value-laden. Is wealth to be assessed by the standards of a Texan or Saudi Arabian multi-millionaire or by the averages familiar to an ordinary citizen in the USA or Western Europe? Is poverty to be defined by the standards of a beggar on the streets of Calcutta or a woman farmer struggling to make ends meet in rural Zimbabwe or Honduras? Should wealth be measured purely in terms of money and the material possessions it will buy, or should spiritual and cultural values be taken into account (Plate 1.1)? Street scene, Maputo, Mozambique A billboard advertising the stylish clothes of the Italian Benetton company in the capital of the world's poorest country https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203754092/06944f7e-d722-42c7-900a-4004781a938b/content/plate1_1_B.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
