GLOBAL POVERTY, INEQUALITY AND ITS IMPACT ON SDG GOALS

Abstract

This study looks at how global poverty and inequality relate to each other and their impact on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Research aims to study the socioeconomic factors affecting the global progress towards sustainable development. Also, they are the effectiveness of Government policy, and economic inequality, access to education as well as job opportunities on SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequality). Data collection is done with a mixed-methods approach, consisting of the primary online (Google Form) survey of respondents, who are 420 in number, and the secondary data is from major world reports enlisted by the World Bank, UNDP, and OECD. SPSS analysis performed descriptive statistics, Anova, multiple regression tests, to ascertain the predictive relationship between the variables.

Statistical results show that creation of jobs, effectiveness of government policy and access to education has a significant positive effect on SDG progress while economic inequality has a weaker and statistically insignificant direct effect. The R² value of 0.838 indicated that the selected variables explain close to 84% of the variation in SDG progress.  Data from countries globally confirmed that, while extreme poverty has decreased over the past decades, still about 838 million people are below the updated $3/day poverty line. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are the most affected regions. The results suggest that reducing inequality and promoting inclusive development remain important global challenges.

The implication of these findings is that increased job creation, education and good governance will work together to create policies for equitable and sustainable development. The study contends that the 2030 Agenda can succeed only if the international community works together in a coordinated manner. There will be a need for strong inter-institutional collaboration and targeting institutions.