for nearly all of recorded human history, there was no long-run growth in real per capita GDP
GDP was approximately equal in all major regions of the world, in other words, poverty was both widespread and equally distributed
today, GDP per capita is 50x larger in the richest countries than in the poorest
poverty is the historical norm
for most of recorded human history, there was no long-run growth in real per capita GDP
poverty is also the current norm, so the real question is no “how do we explain poverty?”