The percent of the world's population living in absolute poverty has fallen from 94% in 1820 to less than 10% today.[1] That's the greatest miracle in human history. [1] twitter.com/BillGates/status/1086662632…

> A lot of poor folks are having to stand in line for hours and hours to get food at a food bank due to [government] ineptitude This is an element of the argument for dismantling the nanny bureaucracy and instead going to UBI / cash payments. 1. It doesn't waste time, both of the gov't employee, but also of the recipient. 2. The author could buy better food, or car parts, or a bus pass, or ... with what otherwise might have been a more or less forced purchase in a single category. The flexibility returns agency and self-help behavior into the hands of the recipient. All this needs to be tempered against the progress[1] we are making against poverty. I know it's a lot to ask the poor to be patient, but I do think there's an element of knowing that a lot of good people are trying really hard to alleviate the situation can help with the mostly mental elements of the article > No matter how fast you run or how high you jump you can never see the finish line. No matter how tired you are the ground keeps moving. eg: this statement is not actually a fact, it's a mindset Overall, this is a big big testament to the overall worldview that I think is missing, just how impactful choices actually are. Some of these kinds of stories start generations ago, some of them start with the individual themselves having spent excess in the past that could have taken them through the low times (kind of "a waste not, want not" scenario). Some folks had opportunity and squandered it. Some flipped tails (failing scenario) 20 times in a row... People don't really want to help the former, but definitely the latter. [1] - x.com/BillGates/status/1086662632587907…

One possible improvement is to provide a way for the community at large to discuss/criticize possible problems with the data as well as for Our World in Data to respond to criticisms from the public. Recently, Bill Gates issued a Tweet demonstrating excitement for progress in diminishing global poverty, citing Our World in Data: twitter.com/BillGates/status/1086662632… This received substantial push back, with claims that this data is a reckless extrapolation of sketchy sources, such as this article by Jason Hickel: theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan…... Is there anything Our World in Data can do to better facilitate this discussion, note that it is happening, or respond to criticism?