It is held that absolute poverty causes approximately one third of all human deaths, some 18 million annually, and blights billions of lives with hunger and disease. This book develops universalizable norms aimed at tackling absolute poverty and the complex and multilayered problems associated with it.

Contents: The Erfurt Manifesto. Common stance of all contributors; Commentary on the Erfurt manifesto. Introduction: justice for the poor - a global paradigm in progress and dispute, Elke Mack. Part 1 Poverty Data Under Scrutiny: Levels and trends in absolute poverty in the world: what we know and what we don't, Stephan Klasen; Identifying absolute global poverty in 2005: the measurement question, Michael Ward; How world poverty is measured and tracked, Thomas Pogge. Part 2 Christian Ethics on Justice and the Poor: Christian ethics and the challenge of absolute poverty, Clemens Sedmak; 'De iustitia in mundo' - global justice in the tradition of the social teaching of the Catholic church, Gerhard Kruip; Religions and global justice: reflections from an inter-cultural and inter-religious perspective, Johannes Mÿller and Michael Reder. Part 3 Global Theories of Justice and Responsibility: On the concept of global justice, Peter Koller; Poverty and responsibility, Stefan Gosepath; Absolute poverty and global inequality, Darrel Moellendorf; Sufficientarianism: both international and intergenerational?, Lukas Meyer; The alleged dichotomy between positive and negative rights and duties, Elizabeth Ashford; Complicity in harmful action: contributing to world poverty and duties of care, Barbara Bleisch; Transnational political elites and their duties of the common good, Eike Bohlken; World poverty and moral free-riding: the obligations of those who profit from global injustice, Norbert Anwander. Part 4 Policies and Actions: Medicines for the world: boosting innovation without obstructing free access, Thomas Pogge; Not only ' a simple math equation': business organisations as agents for poverty reduction, Michael Schramm and Judit Seid; The role of corporate citizens in fighting poverty: an ordonomic approach to global justice, Ingo Pies and Stefan Hielscher; Global justice in the context of worldwide poverty and climate change, Johannes Wallacher. Conclusion: the paradox