As part of its Kalima Project for Translation, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has recently released the Arabic edition of ‘Poverty: A Very Short Introduction’ by Philip Nathan Jefferson, which offers a useful reference allowing readers to understand fundamental issues in economics and sociology.

Translated to Arabic by Mohammed Salah Ali, the book forms part of the Very Short Introductions, series published by the Oxford University Press, which delves into a range of topics relevant to various categories of readers.

In this book, Professor Philip Nathan Jefferson, an American economist and member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, addresses questions about poverty, how it was addressed historically, and how it is dealt with today. The author presents a condensed introduction to poverty, how it is measured, and contemporary efforts to alleviate it.

The book explores who the poor are, how they live, and the obstacles they face, tracing the history of poverty and how it is passed down through the generations. It also delves into global wealth distribution disparities, examining the reasons behind them, and exploring practical and analytical efforts that were – and continue to be – made to eradicate poverty. Moreover, it discusses global efforts and local initiatives aimed at curbing poverty, in addition to examining the social, economic, and political structures that affect the poor and shape their lives.

The author briefly presents a range of key economic and social terminology, including, for example, the equivalence scales, efficiencies in consumption, the feminisation of poverty, and the negative spillovers on group affiliation, among others.

Philip Nathan Jefferson has served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors since 2022 and previously held the post of President of the National Economic Association in 2005. His academic roles include Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty at Davidson College, and Economics Professor at Swarthmore College and Columbia University, where he teaches courses on econometrics, macroeconomics, and poverty and inequality.

In 2022, Jefferson became the fourth person of African descent to join the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. His published books include ‘The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Poverty’ (2012), along with a series of economic research papers on the connection between education, unemployment, and poverty, as well as the “geography of hate”.

Meanwhile, the translator, Mohammed Salah Ali, is an Egyptian researcher born in Cairo in 1994. He graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at the University of Cairo in 2017, where he specialised in political science, history, and social sciences. Throughout his career, he contributed to articles and studies published across various online platforms and scientific journals, and won the Young Translator Competition, held by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Culture in 2021 for his translation of ‘The Egyptian Labour Union’ whitepaper.

Mohammed Salah Ali has translated several books, most notably, ‘God Save the USSR’ by Prof. Jeff Eden, ‘Islam and Nazi Germany’s War’ by David Motadel, ‘Ibn Khaldoun’ by Prof. Syed Farid Alatas, and ‘State in Society’ by Prof. Joel S. Migdal.