1. explain why business services are disproportionately concentrated in global cities.

However, reaching the very poorest remains challenging. A study of 19 countries with data shows that the rate of rural poverty reduction has been higher than that of urban poverty reduction in all countries but one. Despite persistent rural disadvantage, poverty is declining faster in rural than in urban areas. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded their already vulnerable position by reducing incomes, limiting mobility and undermining food security. The situation of the rural poor is made worse by inadequate access to public services, infrastructure and social protection. Much like national poverty rates, rural poverty rates are the highest in sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 50 per cent of the rural population live in extreme poverty in numerous countries (see map). Poverty remains mainly a rural challenge: 80 per cent of people in poverty live in rural areas many developing countries present a large size of rural population 18 per cent of rural residents lived in extreme poverty in 2013, compared to around 5 per cent of urban residents (Castañeda and others, 2018). The brief concludes by discussing policies that promote inclusive development in rural areas. It illustrates that rural poverty and rural inequalities, although interlinked, follow different dynamics. This policy brief focuses on the linkages between poverty and inequality in rural areas. In some countries, there has been a massive return of migrants to rural areas, largely due to job loss. Travel and transport restrictions disrupt the livelihoods of the rural poor, many of whom depend on mobility, seasonal and migrant work and remittances. The pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures have affected urban areas disproportionately but have had a substantial impact on rural residents. All evidence points to increasing inequality as well. Moreover, poverty is now rising due to the COVID-19 crisis. The same economic forces that reduce poverty, including rural development and urbanization, can increase inequalities. This progress has not been equitable across the board. Over the last decades, however, there has been tremendous progress in reducing rural poverty, partly as a result of successful policies promoting economic opportunities for the rural poor and expanding social protection in rural areas. Four of every five people below the $1.90-a-day international income poverty line lived in rural areas in 2013 (Castañeda and others, 2018). Reducing poverty and inequality in rural areas: key to inclusive development IntroductionĮxtreme poverty is mainly a rural phenomenon.

1. explain why business services are disproportionately concentrated in global cities.