What duties do the rich have towards the global poor, and how do justice, charity and the ethical theories shape the response to world poverty?
Global economics and world poverty: the causes of poverty and inequality, justice and charity, the duty of aid (Singer and Hardin), fair trade and debt, and the application of ethical theories.
A CCEA A2 7 guide to global economics and world poverty. Covers the causes of poverty and inequality, the distinction between justice and charity, the debate over the duty of aid (Singer and Hardin), fair trade and debt relief, and the application of Natural Moral Law, Situation Ethics and Utilitarianism.
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What this dot point is asking
You need to explain the ethics of global economics and world poverty: the causes of poverty and inequality, the distinction between justice and charity, the debate over the duty of aid (Peter Singer and Garrett Hardin), the issues of fair trade and debt, and the application of ethical theories, and then evaluate these positions. This topic of A2 7 asks what the rich owe the poor and whether helping is a duty or a choice.
The causes of poverty and inequality
Justice and charity
The duty of aid: Singer and Hardin
Fair trade, debt and the ethical theories
Practical responses and the AS theories shape the debate.
- Fair trade pays producers a just price and protects workers, treating poverty as a problem of justice in trade.
- Debt relief cancels unpayable debts so that poor countries can invest in development.
- Natural Moral Law stresses the common good and the universal destination of goods (creation is meant for all), grounding a duty to share.
- Situation Ethics asks what agape requires for the poor in the situation.
- Utilitarianism, especially in Singer's form, supports a strong duty to relieve suffering, since the benefit to the poor vastly outweighs the cost to the rich.
Evaluating justice and charity
A model evaluation paragraph might run: "There is a strong case that tackling world poverty is a matter of justice rather than mere charity: a great deal of global poverty is not simply bad luck but the product of unjust structures, unfair trade terms, exploitative debt, and the long legacy of colonial extraction, so for the rich world to help is to right a wrong it is implicated in, which is the language of justice and obligation, not optional generosity. Yet it would be too neat to deny charity any place, since not all poverty is caused by identifiable injustice, some results from disaster or local failure, and compassionate giving beyond what strict justice requires is itself a moral good, while Hardin's warnings remind us that aid must actually be effective and not entrench dependency. The judgement, therefore, is that much, perhaps most, global poverty is structural and so primarily a matter of justice that imposes real duties on the rich, but that charity, intelligently directed, also has an important place alongside the demands of justice."
Try this
Q1. What is the difference between justice and charity in helping the poor? [2 marks]
- Cue. Charity is free, optional generosity; justice is a duty to give people what they are owed and to right wrongs.
Q2. Explain Singer's argument for a duty to give aid. [6 marks]
- Cue. If we can prevent something very bad without sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought to; since the rich can save the dying poor at small cost, aid is a strict duty.
Q3. "The rich have a duty of justice to help the global poor." Discuss. [20 marks]
- Cue. Weigh the structural causes of poverty and Singer's principle against Hardin's lifeboat ethics and the view that aid is charity, and judge whether the duty is one of justice. Reach a judgement.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA A2 7 201820 marksExamine the view that the rich have a duty to help the global poor, with reference to Singer and Hardin.Show worked answer →
An A2 synoptic question, so explain the positions and then evaluate them.
Singer. Explain Singer's argument that if we can prevent something bad
without sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought to do
so, which makes aid to the dying poor a strict duty, not optional charity.
Hardin. Explain Hardin's "lifeboat ethics", that giving aid may do more harm
by encouraging overpopulation and dependency, so restraint can be the
responsible course.
A judgement that Singer's principle establishes a strong duty of aid while
Hardin's warnings about effectiveness must be addressed reaches the top
bands.
CCEA A2 7 202120 marks'Tackling world poverty is a matter of justice, not charity.' Discuss.Show worked answer →
An A2 evaluation question, so argue both sides and judge.
Supporting the claim. If poverty is caused by unjust structures (unfair
trade, debt, exploitation), then helping the poor is a duty of justice,
righting a wrong, not optional generosity.
Challenging the claim. Some argue that aid is a free act of charity and
compassion, and that not all poverty is caused by injustice.
A judgement that much global poverty is structural and so a matter of
justice, while charity also has a place, reaches the higher bands.
Related dot points
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Sources & how we know this
- CCEA GCE Religious Studies (2016) specification — CCEA (2016)