&gt; the Bank shifted the IPL from the original $1.02 (at 1985 PPP) to $1.08 (at 1993 PPP), which, given inflation, was lower in real terms.<p>I don&#x27;t understand this, and they don&#x27;t explain. What is PPP, if not &quot;real terms&quot;?  Plus I hate it when somebody makes a claim like this without actually showing the numbers, or creating a graph - it makes the claim less plausible than what they are complaining about.<p>Otherwise the article has valid points, mostly about watering down goals, and the lack of real progress in poverty reduction.<p>Note also that the OP is about the poverty rate, not about poverty being in decline, which is in fact increasing all too quickly.