The effects of world society on international poverty, 1990-2018.

Recent decades have witnessed a worldwide decline in international poverty. Conventional explanations of this empirical problem emphasize variables tied to domestic and global economic processes. This analysis provides an alternative explanation, where I develop a neo-institutional theory of international poverty. Panel regression models with fixed effects suggest that increased embeddedness in world society through international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) is associated with decreased international poverty. This analysis suggests that processes of liberal world society have concrete, empirical implications for some of the most marginalized demographics in the international community-those living in international poverty.