Poverty Around The World

The world as we know it. A divide between rich and poor is prevalent at the moment. Spending Cuts are in motion, and the poor are feeling the ever tightness of their pockets. How did it come to this? Are there simply too many people in this world? Is there  a food shortage? Is Greed and our selfishness out of control? Although this is a complicated problem, it atleast needs to be acknowledged  as a problem that can have catastrophic implications.  Yes, there are many questions, as to why this is so, but even as that may be, there are a plethora of us who recognise this problem. And this is a big problem around the world. I wonder sometimes, how do countries evalute their economic and social progress? Do they not stop to consider, if every citizen has atleast the basic necessities for their own survival. I suppose the bigger question is, is it in the interest of these governments to provide care for each and every citizen? I think the usual response to this would be of course.  Perhaps one needs to understand how the economy is set up, in order to probe further into the intricate details of this matter.