Ingrained poverty is not simply a matter of people's lacking certain resources. To lead a people out of ingrained poverty involves more than simply giving them certain specific things.

The article has some cheap shot arguments which are mistaken. Eliminating public defacation won't make people prosperous but it can reduce transmission of diseases and it can help the stigmatized caste that collects the waste.

School for today's 5-year-olds won't educate today's 25-year-olds, but will educate the 25-year-olds of 20 years from now, and it could be a lot easier to teach 5-year-olds than 25-year-olds. Even if learning to read won't assure children a future job, it will help them think about their world.

However, the overall point about creating prosperity seems valid.

Birth control and reduced birth rate is a crucial part of creating prosperity. A rapidly growing population has not got a chance for prosperity to get ahead of births.