Nicaragua’s government claims victory on poverty, but others have doubts

The Nicaraguan government's claim to have achieved a “spectacular reduction in extreme poverty” is being met with as much skepticism as cheer.

 

Citing results from a recent survey conducted by the International Foundation for Global Economic Challenge, the government claims that between 2005 and 2009, the poverty rate in Nicaragua dropped from 48.3 to 32.9 percent.

 

Not everyone is convinced the government is winning the war on poverty. Economist Sergio Santamaria says that the economy has only grown by an average of 1.5 percent over the past three years.

 

Original source: Nica Times