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FOURTEENTH ESSAY 11-30-00 Moral Economics - Essays On The Relation of Economic Theory to the Moral Perspective in POVERTY AND DEVELOPMENT: AN INTER-FAITH PERSPECTIVE. [www.wfdd.org.uk/] This is the fourteenth of an occasional series of short essays about how economic theory interacts with a moral perspective. Readers are invited to discuss and to re-post widely, but please quote the source. POOR PEOPLE MUST BE LISTENED TO If development efforts are to be effective in helping reduce the negative effects of poverty, then it is axiomatic that the wishes, needs and fears of poor people be considered. In other words, it is neither moral nor effective to impose a 'solution' to poverty developed outside of the context in which it is to be applied. However, listening is a subtle art that cannot be assumed to reside in every well-meaning person. "...Given the limited access to information available to most poor people, the 'voice of the poor' cannot provide a complete understanding of poverty;...There is a danger in assuming that the poor want to tell outsiders....about their...poverty... and fears;...as...lives...change...they...articulate their desires and needs in different ways;...To ask if a school is needed...may...sound like an offer to provide one..."[POVERTY AND DEVELOPMENT: AN INTER-FAITH PERSPECTIVE, para 5.3] EFFECTIVE MORALITY REQUIRES EFFECTIVE DIPLOMACY Clearly, listening effectively requires great sensitivity to and respect for the people one is endeavoring to assist in addition to a sophisticated background understanding of their objective circumstances. Moral approaches to poverty reduction will recognize the needs for sensitivity and information and will avoid imposing on poor people solutions developed in an ivory tower in another culture. Michael Pierce McKeever, Sr. Economics Instructor, Vista Community College, Berkeley, CA URL: www.mkeever.com