of course poor people in third world countries will be worse off than poor people in relatively prosperous countries.

And in a way - you can blame the 'devil take the hindmost' discipline that economics seems to impose on us.

I say seems, because its very short sighted. Just as the southern states in the antebellum America saw slavery as being the basis of their economy, when it was in fact slavery that was keeping them poor - thus it is with the third world. We will all be better off if Africa becomes full of wage earning consumers buying the goods we produce.

however what hope do they truly have. the engine of change must come from within.
And if we cannot help our own poor - despite having ruthless secular logic applied by teams of government think tanks - what chance do countries with all manner of outlandish beliefs - both social and spiritual.