But the circumstances that produce extreme poverty are not, except in rare cases, under the control of such poor people. They may be, to some extent, under the control of governments, and undoubtedly bad government is a major contributor to poverty.
另外，许多人依然相信贫困是因为不努力工作，或者是过度生育。但那些导致了极端贫困的情况却不是随着贫穷者的意志而转移的（极少情况除外）。在某种情况下，这些人民可能都处于政府的控制之下，而一个坏政府无疑是贫穷的主要原因，而即便伤亡是由天灾引起，一个坏政府也会令死亡人数有增无减。