Narrative vs. Descriptive free essay sample

While both narrative and descriptive stories allow a writer to explain an idea or event, they differ in the specific intent. A narrative tells a story about an event, while description creates a clear and vivid picture of a person, place, thing or event. Narration often employs first person point of view, using words like I and me, while description does not. The biggest difference between the two is that a narrative essay includes action, but the descriptive essay does not. Narration follows a logical order, typically chronological. In contrast, description typically contains no time elements. A descriptive essay is more compelling than a narrative: even though a narrative is meant to entertain, a descriptive essay creates a better visual image because the language is more specific and helps to make the essay more vivid and clear. A descriptive story/essay describes the subject in such vivid detail that the reader feels like he/she can reach out and grab what is being described. We will write a custom essay sample on Narrative vs. Descriptive or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For example, instead of writing ‘It was bright out’, write ‘The sun shone its gloriously bright rays onto my pale, freckled face’. The imagery of the more descriptive sentence allows your reader to feel that sense of brightness on his/her own face while reading the story. There is a handful of questions you can ask yourself while writing a descriptive story, all of which will engage the five senses of the reader. What do you smell? What do you taste? What do you hear? What might you touch? What do you see? All of the questions are used for describing. If at all possible, try and avoid the words stuff, things and a lot. There really is no meaning behind those words, they are kind of just filler words. As I was reading ‘Homeless’ by Quindlen, I came across two sentences that jumped off of the page at me: â€Å"It was like a thousand houses in a hundred towns, not suburb, not city, but somewhere in between, with aluminum siding and a chain-link fence, a narrow driveway running up to a one-car garage, and a patch of backyard. The house was yellow. † The use of description in these sentences was remarkable. It made me, as the reader of â€Å"Homeless†, see this house. I can see this yellow house in my mind and I can picture the fence and the driveway so clearly. This is why it is so important in a descriptive essay to choose words wisely and make sure you are painting a clear picture for your readers. Narrative stories or essays tend to tell a story from the perspective of a narrator. Narration often employs the first-person point of view, using words like ‘I’ and ‘me’. The story may be true, false or a combination. A narration is generally done on a more time-framed basis, ideally from the perspective of one time-frame. The dramatic structure of a narrative essay/story has five basic elements. The first one being the opening paragraph, which is used to introduce the situation and create some tension. The next element is the rising action, which should take up the majority of your story. It allows you to create the building of tension throughout the story/essay. The next element is the climax, which is generally where the story resolves problems or conflicts. The next element is the after-math, where the story all comes together. The last element is the concluding paragraph, in which the narrator would tie together any loose ends and bring the story to a close. When writing a narrative, it is best to use concrete details, rather than abstract. This is to allow your reader to empathize with the story you are presenting. Between the two, descriptive and narrative, there are some similarities. Both styles have a clear and concise point within the story and both tell about something the writer is passionate about, which makes for a more interesting read. Both styles of writing also should follow the same essay format, which includes an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph. There should also be a thesis statement placed to reiterate the whole purpose of the paper. Make the reader understand why the topic was important to you as the writer. Description and narration are often used together because description helps make the story we are narrating clearer and more vivid. (Connell, 2013). A descriptive essay is more compelling than a narrative: even though a narrative is meant to entertain, a descriptive essay creates a better visual image because the language is more specific and helps to make the essay more vivid and clear.

Verbal discussion Essays

Verbal discussion Essays Verbal discussion Essay Verbal discussion Essay Telephone calls are used for verbal discussion within businesses. They can be used when contacting both people outside of the premises and even people within the same premises. An employee within a business may use a telephone call to contact a customer in order to gain their immediate response. Video conferencing is a meeting which takes place in two different locations but the conversation takes place through a computer screen. Both sides of the conversation can see as well as hear each other. A business may use video conferencing if they have another branch of the business in another country as people at the business abroad would be able to be involved in a meeting taking place. Telephone calls are suitable for gaining an immediate response as it is always possible to know whether the message was received or not. If another communication method was used to deliver the same message such as SMS messaging or email you would never be sure that the message has been received until a reply has been received. However with a telephone call as you speak to the person themselves you have the assurance that the message has been received. This communication method is suitable as a business cannot afford nor have the time to always travel for meetings. A video conference allows the meeting to take place over a computer screen or allows other people elsewhere to have an insight into a meeting taking place. It is suitable for businesses which have several branches as they would no longer have to travel to each other for meetings. Computers and the internet help many businesses as they provide the communication method of email and instant messaging. The internet also gives a business access to the worldwide web which may be useful to a business when advertising their company (communicating with customers) as well as being able to research whatever information may be needed for their job. This communication has helped boost sales in businesses and strengthened the relationships with existing and potential customers. Touch screen allow people to touch certain areas of a screen to interact with the machine or make the machine do something. Touch screens are a replacement for a keyboard or a mouse. Businesses that sell products to customers use tills that have touch screens. Touch Screens are a suitable method of communication for businesses that use tills with a touch screen as they make it much easier and quicker to make transactions with a touch screen. They are easy to use as they simply require a touch of the screen rather than pressing any controls or typing. They are also suitable as they do not require as much space as there is no keyboard or mouse needed on the desk as they touch screen controls all of this. DVD shows all the content that was shown on VHS tape but on a disk. The sound quality and picture is however much better. A business can use DVDs when training their staff as training guidance may be put onto DVD where staff can watch these DVDs as many times as needed. DVDs are suitable in businesses for training staff as the quality of the DVD itself would be to a high standard. DVDs would also be suitable as they not require much storage space as they are slim disks. DVDs can also be used by businesses to store and read information if they have a DVD drive within their computer software. They are suitable for storing information as they have a high capacity of storage for data so large amounts of information can be stored on a DVD disk. Mobile phones enable verbal communication and SMS messaging from whether the person chooses to take their mobile phone with them. Mobile phones can be used within a business in communicating with staff when they are not currently at work. Staff can also use mobile phones to contact their place of work if they are running late to work. Mobile Phones are a suitable method of communication as they can be taken with people wherever they go. This means that they are always able to gain contact with whoever they need and can also be reached wherever they are. It is suitable for staff to use mobile phones when they are running late to work as they can phone into their place of work to let them know. As they will have their mobile phone with them this will be possible Portable Communication Devices (mobile phones and PDAs) have WAP which enables people to surf the internet, view their emails and use the internet in the ways it is used at an actual computer. WAP can be used by businesses as staff can email and will receive their emails even when they are not at a computer screen. Similarly to the suitability for mobile phones WAP is suitable as it has good portability and can be used in many locations. However mobile phones would not be able to gain access to the internet without WAP. WAP is suitable for use within businesses as it enables employees to access their emails wherever they are so that they do not have to wait until they are next at work or somewhere with internet access.

Ivy League Rankings What Do They Really Mean

Ivy League Rankings What Do They Really Mean SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Ivy League colleges are often viewed as the gold standard of colleges in the US and worldwide. While most people know that all Ivy League schools are good, which are the best Ivy League schools? Now you can find out with my exclusive 2019 Ivy League rankings. Get excited! In this article, I'll rank the Ivy League schools. Furthermore, I'll describe what makes the Ivy League unique, explain how to find the Ivy League school that's right for you, and give you advice on how to decide whether you should pursue an Ivy League education. What Is the Ivy League? The Ivy League is the term used to refer to the eight schools that make up the Ivy League athletic conference. Below is the complete Ivy League schools list in alphabetical order: Brown University Columbia University Cornell University Dartmouth College Harvard University Princeton University University of Pennsylvania Yale University Ivy League schools are all extremely selective private colleges in the Northeast. Also, the Ivy League is the onlyNCAA Division I athletic conference that doesn’t award athletic scholarships. The term Ivy League has become synonymous with extremely prestigious, highly selective colleges. For this reason, many people incorrectly label other prestigious private colleges, such as MIT and Stanford, as Ivy League schools. Stanford's Memorial Church is impressive, but Stanford isn't in the Ivy League. (Justin Kern/Flickr) How I Ranked the Ivy League Colleges It’s difficult to rank the Ivy League colleges against one another because they’re all outstanding schools.There's really no consensus about which Ivy League school is the best, and each ranking list seems to rank the Ivies differently. To determine my Ivy League rankings, I looked at the ranking lists onUS News, Forbes, and Niche. Each list differed from the others, so thoughthere’s no consensus about how to rank Ivy League schools, there is general agreement that all Ivy League schools are among the best colleges in the country.I averaged these three rankings but counted the US News rankings twice, since this list isthe most prestigious and most commonly cited of all college ranking lists. For a more thorough breakdown of the methodologies used to determine how schools are ranked for each list, check out my article on all the college ranking lists you should read. I think these three lists complement each other well because they emphasize different aspects of colleges that contribute to overall school quality. Of these lists,US Newsmost strongly emphasizes the academic reputations of colleges. The academic reputation of a school iswhat education experts think of the academics at a particular college. US News gives a peer assessment survey to university presidents, provosts, and deans of admissions to help rate academic quality. It also surveys high school counselors across the US. The Forbes list most heavily emphasizes student outcomes, factoring inalumni salaries, the amount of debt students have upon graduating, student loan default rate, and even prestigious professional accomplishments from alumni, such as winning an Oscar or Nobel Prize. Finally, the Niche list most heavily emphasizes quality of life. While Niche also incorporates academic reputation and measurements of student outcomes into its rankings, unlike the other two lists, Niche takes into account the quality of campus housing, athletics, technology, the party scene, and diversity. Want to get into Harvard, Princeton, or your personal top choice college? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Here come the rankings! Hooray! (Antoine Butler/Flickr) Ivy League Schools, Ranked (2019) Here are my 2019 rankings of the Ivy League schools. I created a table with each school's ranking, location, and undergraduate enrollment.The average ranking is based on counting the school's US News ranking twice.You can click on each school's link to see the average high school GPA of admitted applicants, its standardized test scores, and its acceptance rate. Note thatUS News separates colleges into four categories(National Universities, National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities, and Regional Colleges) for its ranking lists. All the Ivy League colleges are considered National Universities,so each school's ranking is being compared with those of all other colleges in the National Universities category. School Location Undergrad Enrollment US News Ranking Forbes Ranking Niche Ranking Average Ranking* Harvard University Cambridge, MA 6,766 2 1 3 2 Princeton University Princeton, NJ 5,394 1 5 5 3 Yale University New Haven, CT 5,746 3 2 4 3 Columbia University New York, NY 6,162 3 15 7 7 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 10,033 8 7 6 7.25 Brown University Providence, RI 6,988 14 8 9 11.25 Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 4,410 12 9 19 13 Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14,907 16 13 21 16.5 *As a reminder, the US News ranking for each school is counted twice due to the prominence of the US News ranking list. What Can You Determine From These Ivy League Rankings? As you probably know, Ivy League colleges have extremely good reputations.All Ivies are ranked in the top 16 National Universities by US News.In terms of numerical rankings, there isn't much distinction among Ivy League schools, but there are some notable differences. In most Ivy League rankings, Princeton, Harvard, and Yale are at the top.They're the topIvy League schools and some of the very bestcolleges in the US. They're comparable to top-tier non-Ivy League schools such as Stanford and MIT.There's probably some debate about which schools compose the next tier of Ivy League schools, but, based on my rankings, I would put Columbia, Penn, and Brown in the second tier.Their academic reputations aren't quite as established as those of the first-tier schools, and as a whole they're slightly less selective. Comparable non-Ivy League schools include Duke and Caltech. The finaltier of Ivy League schools would be Dartmouth and Cornell.Cornell has the highest acceptance rate of all Ivy League institutions (but it still only admits 13% of its applicants). Non-Ivy League schools that are comparable to Dartmouth and Cornell in terms of quality include Northwestern and Vanderbilt. Remember that rankings are subjective, but they can reveal how colleges are viewed by employers, graduate schools, and the general public.Even though Harvard and Cornell are both incredibly prestigious schools where you can receive a world-class education and become part of a successful alumni network, the general consensus is that Harvard is the better school. Matt Damon went to Harvard, but he left a little early to do the acting thing. How to Decide Which Ivy League School Is Right for You Many of the Ivy League schools are extremely similar. They’re private schools of similar sizes with excellent academic reputations. In addition, they are all located in the same region of the US, they all have large endowments, and they all tend to offer generous financial aid. If you’re interested in attending an Ivy, you’ll have to do extensive research to determine which Ivy League school is right for you.You can use college finders, search websites, guidebooks, and other ranking lists to try to find the best Ivy for you. Here are four factors to keep in mind as you research the Ivy League: #1: Setting One of the biggest differences between Ivy League schools is their settings.Figure out whether you want to go to school in an urban, suburban, or ruralarea.The urban Ivy League schools include Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Brown, and the University of Pennsylvania. However, they’re all in cities of very different types and sizes. In terms of urban environments, Columbia is in New York City- the most densely populated city in the US- while UPenn is situated in Philadelphia, another large city. By contrast, Brown is in the small city of Providence, Rhode Island, offering a much more subdued environment. Similarly, Harvard is in a college town called Cambridge, which is located just outside of Boston. And Yale is located in New Haven, Connecticut, which has a population of just 130,000 compared with the roughly 8.4 million people in NYC. Princeton is the only Ivy League school in a suburban setting.It's more self-contained and the surrounding area is quieter than those of other Ivies. Naturally, there are far fewer entertainment options and cultural attractions than you would find in a large city (though more than you'd find in a rural area). Princeton is only an hour from Philadelphia and an hour and a half from NYC. Cornell and Dartmouth offer students a rural environment,where students are surrounded by nature and there's not much going on in the town unrelated to the college. Rural colleges tend to provide more of a community atmosphere, but there are usually fewer jobs and internships in the vicinity. A student who'd really enjoy being in the urban environment of Columbia might not enjoy the rural setting of Dartmouth, and vice versa. Be sure to think deeply about which type of setting you'd feel most comfortable in. #2: Academic Programs, Majors, and Requirements While all Ivy League schools are strong in the humanities, social sciences, and STEM, each offers different programs, general education requirements, majors, and concentrations. For example, Cornell is the only Ivy to offer a business management program with a focus on hospitality through its School of Hotel Administration. Meanwhile, Penn is home toone of the most prestigious business schools in the US and offers a number of undergraduate business majors that aren’t available at other Ivies. Lastly, Columbia has extensive general education requirements in its Core Curriculum, whereas Brown has very few. If you have an intended major or area of study, compare the majors and course offerings at the different Ivies to ensure that you’ll be able to pursue your academic interests. #3: Size The size of the school is a factor to consider as well.While most Ivy League schools are a similar size, there aresome differences to be aware of. If you're deciding between Cornell and Dartmouth, for instance, keep in mind that Cornell's undergraduate enrollment is about three times the size of Dartmouth's. While some students prefer a larger, more vibrant atmosphere, others would enjoy a smaller, more tight-knit community. #4: Campus Culture Finally,consider the campus culture of each school. DifferentIvy League schools have different reputations in regard to the types of students they attract and admit. Princeton students are often viewed as more preppy, for example, whereas Brown students are perceived as more progressive. Some stereotypes might be more accurate than others. Read guidebooks, talk to current students or alumni, andvisit the campusesto get an idea of the culture and to determine whether you'd fit in. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Do your college research. Is the Ivy League (or Another Top-Tier School) Right for You? When finalizing your list of colleges, remember that Ivy League colleges are reach schools for almost everybody who applies to them.The odds of getting into an Ivy are low, regardless of your academic resume and extracurricular activities. If you want toget into an Ivy League school, you have to be extremely dedicated.For more tips, check out our other Ivy League-related guides: How Many AP Classes Do You Need for Ivy League Schools? Which High School Classes Do Ivy League Schools Require? SAT Subject Test Scores for the Ivy League What’s a Good SAT/ACT Score for the Ivy League? Good SAT Scores: Ivy League Plus Edition Although there are undeniable benefits of attending an Ivy League college, some students might find that the sacrifices they have to make aren’t worth it.As long as you’re motivated and have a good work ethic, you can be successful in life regardless of the college you attend. You might decide to take a less challenging class schedule or spend more time with friends. Doing all of this might decrease your overall chances of getting into an Ivy League school, but it's important to consider what makes you happy and what will let you enjoy your high school experience.On the other hand, if you’re willing to put in the necessary work to gain admission to an Ivy League school and are determined to attend a top college, you’ll have to be extremely committed to be able to make this happen.The process to get into an Ivy begins early in your high school career- well before you evenapply to college.Ultimately, with enough determination and hard work, you might be abl e to give yourself a realistic shot of getting into an Ivy League college. Even if you don’t get accepted to an Ivy, chances are that you’ll still be able to attend a selective, prestigious college. Good luck! What's Next? Want to go to a top college but don't want to attend school in the Northeast? Then check out my other articles on the best colleges in the South and Midwest. To help identify schools that you have a good chance of getting into, read our guide on target schools. I also recommend taking a peek at our guide on how to set your SAT/ACT target score based on the colleges you're applying to. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

The Margaret Sanger Memorial Park Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Margaret Sanger Memorial Park - Essay Example This essay discusses that the monument will serve as a direct remembrance for women of how hard the fight for equality has been, and similarly, how much further we as Americans have to go. For the visitor, it will symbolize the strength not only of the need for everyone to have freedom but also that even one voice, if persistent, can have a huge impact on American society. Ms. Sanger is emblematic of American’s, using her freedom and voice to help and protect millions of others. A monument to her can only serve as a monument to every citizen and visitor who believes that one person can make a difference. To create this memorial, the author proposes a small park, of no more than one city block. The park shall be open on all sides, welcoming people to come and rest. There will be no vendors allowed in the park, to allow people to simply enjoy. In one corner of the park, a playground shall be built, commemorating Ms. Sanger’s love of children, and belief that children from a planned family will be happy and well cared for. In the center, a statue shall be erected with her image, and on the bottom, a quote â€Å"No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother†. While it will be simple, it is merely a celebration of her life and allows life to go on around it, much as Ms. Sanger would have wanted. She devoted her life to serving others, and there is no better monument than a place where people can relax and be happy, and to enjoy watching children run and play. Socially, this monument supports women and also those who believe that anyone can make a difference.

Drilling at the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve Essay

Drilling at the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve - Essay Example Nonetheless, it is high time that people agreed on drilling on the refuge. The U.S should drill in the ANWR because it would add economic value, reduce dependency on foreign petroleum, and because the plan has immense support from Alaskans. An essential reason to drill in the ANWR is to add economic worth of the US. It is of immense profit not only to Alaskans but also to all American to explore the area for economic value. Economic and other remuneration of ANWR oil are of much implication that even conservationists should concur to consent drilling since even they might profit directly from the venture. America’s reliance on oil from countries that are constantly either politically unsteadies, or at variance with the U.S subjects. The U.S economy irregularly delivers disruptions, price hikes and trouncing of wealth. In the recent past, U.S has spent over 7 trillion defending hefty foreign oil, money that is more than what the U.S has spent in all the wars it has fought since the revolutionary war. America’s cost of Middle East oil is projected at fifty billion dollars each year. From all these expenses that stretch the U.S economy subjecting the citizens to grave economic crisis it is vital to explore the ANWR oil. By drilling the ANWR, this will enable the American economy to progress, as several costs will be minimized. Therefore, quick response should be taken to start exploring the oil reserves in ANWR to ease the economic burden on the American citizens. This will also take off the emotional stress, placed on the U.S, due to frequent loss of lives of soldiers’, things that are not always reflected on the imported oil price tags. The constructive significance on the U.S economy is enormous. More than 80 percent of the theoretically recoverable gas is commercially developable at a gas price of around $25 per barrel. The recoverable oil in Alaska generally, is presumed that, creation from Alaska would reduce oil imports by an equal amou nt. The latent ANWR oil improved would have a worth between $125 and $350 billion (kitchen & Burger, 1). Another critical reason to drill in the ANWR is to help the U.S to reduce its dependency of foreign oil manufacturers. It is vital to sustain drilling in this hefty area in Alaska as a method of reducing dependence on foreign, and often hostile, sources of petroleum. Taking into consideration the U.S’s present political intervention in conflicts, in the Middle East, as well as the shortage of other practical supply of petroleum, it is inevitable drilling in the ANWR as a requisite to secure and defend the interests of the country (Corn, 97). Supporters also include organizations that facilitate support extensive employment, including factions such as the Teamsters, was in favor of drilling in ANWR since it would generate a bulky sum of newly formed jobs. It is a monumental step in designing new jobs in a country facing several layoffs and recession problems, which hugely a ffect the Americans lives. Drilling for oil and natural fuels would create numerous jobs for the American public in a time where work is abundantly needed. Jobs would not only be available in the state of Alaska, but in every single state across the United States (Trapp 76). A further reason to drill in the ANWR is that many Americans are in support of the initiative. One of the main arguments against

Classification of Workers :: Classification Essays

Money is the foremost incentive why infinite people work around the world. There are unequal classifications of jobs that contain more physical labor or deskwork. Some work as rescuers, businessmen, consultants, a student, doctors, or even garbage men. No matter where an individual works, they will always encounter three types of workers: Hard-Workers, Slackers, and Mediocres. The Hardworking people have several superb characteristics. These types of people usually goes to work on time or maybe even five or ten minutes early to see what needs to be accomplished. During the day, it rarely happens that they have to be advised to do something twice. When they clean rooms or set-up computers, they do it to the best of their ability and recheck everything to make certain it’s working properly. In addition, they tend to get things done on time and not one second late. Overall, Hardworking people are very responsible and reliable in a working environment. Slackers are much different than Hardworking people. They come to work five to ten minutes late without an excuse. They tend to work hard for the first three or four weeks of the job, but once they observe how the system works, their useless. Slackers hardly work from the time scheduled to the time finished. In addition, they do more viewing and squatting, then moving around and assisting others with equipment. They have to be informed when, where, and why they have to do it. The quality of the job is usually sloppy and doesn’t get accomplished on time. Lastly, their very unreliable people that don’t care about work, but need the money. Lastly, a Mediocre person has several characteristics as slackers, but somewhat better and more useful. Mediocre people on occasion cruise to work early or late, depends on how well their day went. Mediocre people can be Hardworker’s or Slacker’s depending on whether or not the boss is there. On occasion, they have to be told twice when to do something because they’re sometimes irresponsible. They work when they want and when they don’t, they won’t. They know when to stop Slacking and start working. They only do work that need to get accomplish. If they don’t have to do it, then they will lay it off for another person. The quality of work depends upon their mood and whom they associate with. Lastly, Mediocre people can be either reliable or unreliable/ It would be difficult trying to locate many hard working people around the world.

Investing in Education Is the Most Effective Way to Reduce Poverty Essay

â€Å"Investing in education is the most effective way to reduce poverty† In many ways this is a difficult statement to assess. There is no doubt that education is a key initiative in the reduction of poverty. Whether it is the most effective is harder to say for sure. We can easily confirm correlation in the relationship between reduced poverty and increases in factors such as education and health. However it is no simple task to measure and compare the level of impact a component such as education has on poverty. There are many factors and variables that influence the poverty of a country and many of these factors influence one another, strengthening or weakening their individual effects and implications. However after researching the topic I feel I agree with the statement. Before I continue to argue my stance on the title statement I will discuss the basic problem of poverty and the accepted policies and solutions. Poverty is arguably the greatest obstacle facing developing countries in the world today. Poverty can be defined in two ways; absolute poverty and relative poverty. The absolute poverty of a country relates to the number of people who have a standard of living below a certain level. In essence it is a person’s inability to command sufficient resources to satisfy basic human needs. This quantity of resources is called the poverty line. Relative poverty on the other hand refers to the income share of the poorest section of society (Tara Mitchell, 2012). Absolute poverty can be abolished by directly raising the living standards of everyone in a country above the established level – poverty line. Relative poverty however can only be combatted by reducing the gap between the rich and the poor so that the poorest section of a society receives an acceptable percentage of the total income. In other words inequality is the obstacle to overcome. Growth is the key initiative in ending absolute poverty in developing countries. Aid can be supplied to help boost living standards temporarily but growth and development allow countries to support themselves. Growth has a positive correlation with reduction of absolute poverty. Investment in areas such as education, health and gender equality induce growth within early stage developing countries (World Health Organisation, 2008). It is not as clear with relative poverty as it is a share of total income received by the poorest section of society. It can only be reduced not eradicated, by lowering inequality. However many experts differ in opinion on whether reducing inequality has a positive effect on growth. There are two main types of inequality. The first, structural, which relates to historical factors of social divide and infrastructure is definitely bad for growth, as it confines people to predetermined sectors with no drive to innovate. The other type, Market inequality has a much more ambiguous relationship with growth. Some argue that inequality is necessary for growth as there are incentivises people to achieve more. In terms of the most extreme poverty and basic growth, the reduction of inequality seems to be a positive approach (M. Ravallion, 2005) Health and education are important objectives and components of growth and development. For developing countries these two objectives are pivotal in the early eradication of poverty. There is a positive correlation between the number of years of schooling and both income and growth (Cohen & Soto, 2007). In terms of health (which is usually measured in life expectancy at birth or daily per-capita calories) there is also a positive correlation with increases in income (Heston, summers & Aten, 2006). This increased income and/or growth would be seen as direct reduction in poverty. It is difficult to determine whether health or education has a stronger effect on income. This is because they are both heavily intertwined and overlap in many regards. It is found that increased investment in health boosts education and vice versa (Bloom, 2007). In Miguel and Kremer’s 2004 paper they examine the effect of de-worming programs on Kenyan primary school kids. The investigation, which randomized more than 75 schools, shows that the de-worming lowered absenteeism from school by one-quarter in the treatment group and also improved health and school participation in students who were not included in the program (Miguel & Kremer, 2004). In 2005 at the UN’s World Summit, the international community pledged half the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015 outlining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These are a series of eight dead lined targets, most of which aim to eradicate the root causes of poverty worldwide. These goals highlight the main forms in which poverty appears hunger, education, inequality and various health related problems. These are therefore the main areas that investment is made to reduce poverty (UNFPA, 2005). The eight MDG’s are: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, Achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality rates, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability, and developing a global partnership for development. Looking at these MDG’s, which area of investment would be most effective in reducing poverty? You can see from the above goals that health is a dominant issue, as many of the goals can be attributed to health deficiency problems. It is also true that hunger is maybe the most important and fundamental form of poverty and so must be invested in foremost. Strong investment in improved agriculture practices and technology can stabilise extreme hunger and famine. Gender equality is vital for general welfare of all people but it also gives women an equal control within marriages and families helping to reduce birth rates and HIV levels. When women can negotiate their reproductive health decisions with men, this gives them greater rights and increased decision-making in families and communities that benefits all. This enables people to have fewer children and helps to stimulate development. The average per-capita income increases, as families are smaller and income is shared. Also countries with the most rapid increases in population and the high fertility levels generally have the highest poverty levels (UNFPA, 2005). In my opinion education is the most effective investment. As well as being a major component of growth and development it also provides a foundation for all the other battles against poverty. Health and education are invariably interconnected. Educating and informing people to learn about and maintain their own health is as important as the medicine and infrastructure provided. It also provides an educated population to provide future health resources. Education also gives sustainability to policies aimed at eradicating hunger and starvation e.g. modern agricultural methods. A well founded education system is a platform to give men and women the knowledge and information needed to combat overpopulation and the spread of crippling diseases such as HIV/AIDS. In any form method of fighting poverty the quality is just as important as quantity. There is little point in continued investment in these areas if there are not efforts made to remove and improve on the current inefficiencies. With both education and health many problems have arisen from poor implementation of programs. The lack of fine and accurate systems has seen a lot of invested resources squandered. Absenteeism has been the plight of both health and education efforts in developing countries consistently worldwide. In Uganda 27% of teachers were found to be absent on a daily basis. Likewise, in Indonesia, 40% absenteeism in primary health clinics was occurring daily (Pratham, 2006). Furthermore, even teachers who attend may not actually be in class; in India, only two-thirds of teachers present in school were actually teaching (Kremer et al, 2004). So what is going wrong? Firstly, there doesn’t seem to be any strong repercussions for teachers with poor attendance. In a survey of 3000 Indian government schools astonishingly only one school reported firing a teacher for poor attendance (Pratham, 2006). There are certainly systems in place whereby theoretically, supervisors record absences and deal out punishments accordingly. Some even implemented this on an incentivised reward and punishment basis. However most studies reflect that schemes implemented with a supervisor making judgements at his/her own discretion, do not work. This may seem like a more feasible system, allowing a human element to determine the severity or genuine nature of the reasons for absent teachers. But absences in local communities responsible for self-monitoring and accountability were simply not reported (Pratham, 2006). It is evident that institutions providing public services are very complex and focusing on the details counts. Governments and organisations involved in these areas have to continuously adapt and innovate the systems to fit there region, country and people. There are systems that do appear to be working. They are most notably impersonally monitored and accounted. One study in Rajastan, India where machines were used to check teachers in and provided an incentivised pay system based on attendance with external monitoring. This cut the growing problem with attendance in half (Seva Mandir, NGO). Surprisingly some of the most successful systems are not teacher incentivised. For example a girl’s scholarship program run in Kenya offered scholarships based on high test scores. The result showed a large academic improvement throughout the age group, even boys not included in the scholarship improved their marks dramatically. There was also a significant rise in attendance of teachers, though causality cannot be guaranteed, this is presumably due to increased student motivation to learn (Kremer, Miguel, & Thornton, 2007) Often the most absentee reducing methods are found to be the most cost effective also. What is for certain is that supervisors cannot be allowed discretion to determine rewards. The system must be impersonal. Successful application of such systems can be found in Brazil and Mexico. In Brazil it is known as conditional cash transfer (CCT), this idea was based on Mexico’s original Progressa system. It provides financial support to families for food, school and medical expenses and is weighted dependant on the attendance level (Economist, 2005). Another system known as â€Å"local accountability with teeth†, where locals have the authority to hire and fire themselves has also a lot of potential and most importantly it reduces cost of financial incentive (MIT, 2010). This problem has been subject to great debate and investigation amid governments and agencies involved with the reduction of poverty in the developing world. It is widely acknowledged that improvements in the absentee rate in both schools and health care centres would lead to better living standards in struggling countries. A 2008 study showed that when teacher attendance rose from 58-79% this coincided with a 7% point increase in the number of girls able to write (Duflo, Hanna & Ryan, 2008). However it is not as clear if amendments to absentee levels in healthcare lead to more patients attending clinics (Bjorkman & Svensson, 2007). According to a similar surprise survey visit to schools and healthcare centres on India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Uganda, Ecuador and Peru checking up on attendance changes and their affects, the results showed a doubling of the country’s GDP resulted in an 8% pt. decline in education absences and only a 3.8% pt. fall in healthcare absences(Chauhury et al, 2006). This shows that whilst health and education both have positive responses to improved attendances, education changes have a stronger positive relationship with GDP (Income) than the health attendance changes. Having read and studied a number of papers and articles on the issue, I am of the opinion that investment in education is the most effective way to reduce poverty. Whilst health issues dominate the main forms that poverty appears in, I feel that a sustainable and affective health system can only be established after there is a strong foundation of education already in place. The same can be said for all problems associated with poverty and so the returns on education investment are wide reaching and long lasting. Education also has a more effective response to investment and absentee improvements than health. It is the basis for a countries future stability; every developed country in today’s world has a strong education system right up to 3rd level. It is crucial investment needed by developing countries to have and advance basic education services to help build all facets of a countries growth. With a more educated population the problems at the roots of poverty can be tackled. Starvation, disease, gender equality, income and the overall quality of life can improve and be maintained without external aid. This is why I think the statement is correct that investing in education is the most effective way to reduce poverty. Bibliography: * Lecture slides EC3040A, Tara Mitchell, 2012 * Human Rights, Health & Poverty Reduction Strategies, World Health Organisation; 2008 * Reducing Poverty and achieving Sustainable Development, United Nations Population Fund, 2005 * Growth and human capital: good data, good results, D.Cohen & M. Soto; 2007 * Penn World Table, version 6.2, Centre for International Comparisons of Production, Income & Price; A. Heston, R. Summers, & B. Aten, 2006 * Inequality is bad for the poor, M. Ravallion, World Bank, 2005 * Education, Health and Development, D. Bloom; 2007 * Fighting Poverty: What Works? Pratham; 2006 * Missing in action: Teacher and Health work absence in developing countries, N. Chaudhury, J. Hammer, M. Kremer, K. Muralidharam & F. Halsey Rogers; 2006 * Power of the people: Evidence from a randomized field experiment of a community based monitoring project in Uganda, M. Bjorkman & J. Svensson; 2007 * Incentives to Learn, M. Kremer, E. Miguel, R. Thornton; 2007 * New thinking about an old problem, The Economist; 2005 * Poverty Action Lab, Abdul Latif Jameel, MIT; 2010