Three Seas Economic Journal 1 Vol. 3 No. 3, 2022 1 Department of Management, Universitas Methodist Indonesia, Indonesia (corresponding author) E-mail: antonmethodist@gmail.com This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 4.0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30525/2661-5150/2022-3-1 POVERTY PERSPECTIVES AND REDUCTION STRATEGIES IN INDONESIA Anton Atno Parluhutan Sinaga1 Abstract. The purpose of this study is to identify the poverty perspective and poverty alleviation strategies in Indonesia. Poverty is one of the problems still facing Indonesia. Given that the problem of poverty in Indonesia is a complex and multifaceted problem, poverty reduction efforts should be carried out in a comprehensive manner, covering various aspects of people's lives and implemented in an integrated manner. It is important to know what factors influence poverty for the benefit of society, people and the state. The aim of this study was to identify the factors that cause poverty and ways to overcome them. The results of previous literacy studies show that poverty is influenced by many factors. One of them is micro-poverty caused by unequal distribution of resource ownership, which leads to unequal distribution of income. The problem of poverty is a challenge that has been going on for a long time until today. In fact, many poverty reduction programs have been implemented by the government, but have not brought significant changes. Poverty reduction programs are implemented in many countries around the world. The development strategy elaborated by the Indonesian state has so far been based on high rates of economic growth. According to the forecasts of high rates of economic growth, income is distributed unevenly among all segments of the population, there is an imbalance between growth and equity. Observing some mistakes of the poverty reduction paradigm, where the analysis should bring to the forefront the variables that are significant for poverty reduction, exactly those variables that are not significant, so the strategies that should be adopted to overcome poverty: should also not only prioritize the economic aspect, but also pay attention to other dimensions; to increase the capacity and productivity, the chosen strategy is to increase the basic ability of the poor to increase income; involvement of the poor in the whole process of poverty reduction; empowerment strategy. People-centered development approach as a paradigm of decentralized policy is very relevant in overcoming social problems, including poverty. Key words: poverty, strategy, alleviation, formulation, society. JEL Classification: D01, D02, D04, R10, R11 1. Introduction Poverty is still a big issue in Indonesia's history as a country. in a country with poor governance, there is no big problem anymore except poverty (Arsyad, 2012). Poverty results in millions of children not being able to access quality education, difficulties in financing health care, absence of savings and investment, lack of access to public services, no employment opportunities, poor social security and household protection, intensified urban mobility, urbanization, and worse, poverty prevents millions of people from meeting their needs, including food, clothing, shelter and limited means of transportation. Poverty leads to the fact that people are ready to sacrifice everything. Poverty is a condition in which a person is deficient, either materially or physically, or one who is unable to fulfill the lowest standard of living and is unable to achieve the minimum level of goals that have been set. These goals can be in the form of consumption, freedom, the right to get something or just enjoy life, etc. ( Jonaidi, 2012). Poverty is a problem faced by all countries, especially in developing countries such as Indonesia (Primandhana, 2022). Poverty is a limitation borne by an individual, a family, a community or even a country, which causes discomfort in life, threatens law and order and justice, as well as the loss of generations and a bleak future for the nation and the state. This understanding is broad, it was said that poverty is associated with discomfort in life (Ferezagia, 2018). In all spheres, people are always marginalized because they cannot equate their conditions with those of the surrounding society. Overcoming poverty is one of the tasks of the government, whether it is the central Three Seas Economic Journal 2 Vol. 3 No. 3, 2022 or regional government, which jointly fulfill the task of prosperity of the people, as regulated in the Law. Poverty alleviation must be taken seriously, which means that it includes all the causes of poverty. Some of them that are part of the fight against poverty that need further action and improvement in their implementation include increasing access to credit for the poor, raising the level of education of the population, increasing employment opportunities, prosperity of the people and meeting all aspects of needs, with the hope that poverty can be somewhat overcome (Prawoto et al., 2009). One important aspect of supporting poverty reduction strategies is the availability of accurate poverty data. When such data is available, the government can make decisions about what to do to respond. In addition, available data can force the government to compare poverty levels from year to year. ([BPS] Central Bureau of Statistics, 2021b) Overall, numerical poverty in Indonesia has good quantitative and percentage performance for the period from March 2010 to March 2021, except for September 2013, March 2015, March 2020 and September 2020. Further in descending order. Figure 1. Number and Percentage of Poor Population in Indonesia, March 2010 – March 2021 Source: Statistical Indonesia, BPS, 2021 Table 1 Number and percentage of poor people in Indonesia by region March 2020 – March 2021 Region/Year Number of Poor People (million people) Percentage of Poor Population (%) (1) (2) (3) Urban March 2020 11.16 7.38 September 2020 12.04 7.88 March 2021 12.18 7.89 Rural March 2020 15.26 12.82 September 2020 15.51 13.20 March 2021 15.37 13.10 Urban + Rural March 2020 26.42 9.78 September 2020 27.55 10,19 March 2021 27.54 10,14 Source: Compiled according to the National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas) March 2020, September 2020 and March 2021 Three Seas Economic Journal 3 Vol. 3 No. 3, 2022 Increase in the number and share of poor population During September 2013 to March 2015. Rising prices of daily necessities due to higher fuel prices. On the other hand, an increase in the number and proportion of poor people during March 2020 and September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic that hit Indonesia. Change in poverty rate from March 2010 to March 2021. ([BPS] Central Bureau of Statistics, 2021a) in March 2021, the number of poor people in Indonesia reached 27.54 million people. Compared to September 2020, the number of poor people decreased by 0.01 million. On the other hand, compared to March 2020, the number of poor people increased by 1.12 million. The share of the poor population in March 2021 was 10.14 percent, which is 0.05 percentage points less than in September 2020 and 0.36 percentage points more than in March 2020. In terms of settlements, from September 2020 to March 2021, the number of poor in urban settlements increased by 13.81 thousand people, and in rural areas decreased by 145 thousand people. The urban poverty rate increased from 7.88 percent to 7.89 percent. At the same time, in rural areas it decreased from 13.20% to 13.10%. One of the ways to overcome poverty is economic growth (Kuncoro, 2013). Economic growth is the economic process in a country that is experiencing positive growth or moving towards better conditions for the country. to improve the economy in a country what the government should do is: creation of competent human resources Increase in national income. In addition, the government should also focus on the natural resources available to manage competent human resources. If the competence of human resources is good, then the development process will be faster, and hence economic development will increase, and it is possible to raise the poverty level so that the population does not increase. Indonesia's poverty reduction strategy has so far focused only on economic growth. High. Economic growth does not follow an equitable distribution of income for all classes of society. The mechanism is actually considered according to the increase of capital accumulation and the development of an economic system capable of spreading equal prosperity. The purpose of this study is to identify the poverty perspective and poverty alleviation strategies in Indonesia. 2. Literature review. Poverty ([BPS] Central Bureau of Statistics, 2019) Poverty is defined as: Less prosperous conditions or status of Rupiah (Indonesian Rupiah) per capita per month. On the other hand, the minimum physical needs (KFM) are used as a benchmark (clothing, housing, the amount of calories, proteins, vitamins and other minerals needed) that ensure a decent life for workers. Consumer demand should satisfy 2100 calories per day (food group) plus needs (non-food) that include at least housing, clothing, health and education (Rini & Sugiharti, 2017). Kotze (Kuncoro, 2010) states that the poor have a relatively good ability to obtain resources from existing opportunities. Although external assistance is sometimes used, it is not always guaranteed, so people depend on external support. This approach to empowerment is considered unsuccessful because no community can live and prosper if it is isolated from other community groups. Such isolation breeds passive attitudes and the situation becomes even worse. (Arifin, 2020) argues that poverty is a completely limited situation that arises not by the will of the person concerned. A population is considered poor if it is characterized by low levels of education, productivity, income, health, nutrition and well-being of life, indicating a circle of powerlessness. Poverty can be caused by limited available human resources, both through formal and non-formal education, which in turn has the consequences of low levels of informal education. More Emil Salim (Arsyad, 2012) suggests five characteristics of the poor. Five characteristics of the poor: 1) they do not have their own factors of production; 2) they are not able to acquire productive assets on their own; 3) the level of education is usually low; 4) many of them do not have housing; 5) there are relatively many young people who do not have skills or appropriate education. (Prawoto et al., 2009) Poverty is multi-dimensional. This means that human needs vary, so poverty also has many aspects, including: 1) primary aspects in the form of: poor assets, social and political organization, knowledge and skills; 2) secondary aspects include: social networks, sources of finance and information. 3. Causes of poverty and its characteristics There are many explanations for the causes of poverty. The mass poverty that emerged in many newly independent countries after World War II focused on the underdevelopment of the country 's economy as the root of the problem. The population of the country was poor (Kuncoro, 2013; Suripto & Subayil, 2020), as it depended on the subsistence agricultural sector, traditional production methods, which were often accompanied by apathy towards the environment. Sharp, et.al (Arsyad, 2012; Kuncoro, 2010) tries to identify the causes of poverty from an economic point of view. First, at the micro level, poverty arises Three Seas Economic Journal 4 Vol. 3 No. 3, 2022 from unequal ownership of resources, which leads to unequal distribution of income. The poor have only limited and low quality resources. Second, poverty arises from differences in the quality of human resources (Primandhana, 2022). Low quality of human resources means low productivity, which in turn lowers wages. Low level of human resources is caused by bad education, disadvantage, discrimination or inheritance. Finally, poverty arises from differences in access to capital. These three causes of poverty lead to the Nurkse's vicious circle theory of poverty (Kuncoro, 2013), the existence of underdevelopment, market imperfections and lack of capital cause low productivity. Reduced labour productivity leads to low incomes that they receive. Low income will have consequences for poor savings and investment. Low investment leads to underdevelopment and so on. Developing countries still have certain peculiarities, especially difficulties in managing their domestic market to transform it into a more advanced competitive market. When they are unable to manage economic development, there may be a tendency to capital shortage, followed by low productivity, lower real income, low savings and reduced investment, so that the country is again locked in a state of capital shortage. And so on, in a circle. Therefore, all efforts to combat poverty should be aimed at breaking this circle and this poverty trap. (Pateda et al., 2019; Zuhdiyaty & Kaluge, 2018) describes that the emergence of poverty is related to the culture in which a society lives, injustice in the ownership of factors of production and the model of development approach adopted by a country. Robert Chambers (Rachmawati, 2011; Zuhdiyaty & Kaluge, 2018) emphasized that the factors that cause poverty are: entanglement in poverty, loss of rights or wealth that is difficult to recover, which can be caused by the need for pressure that exceeds its threshold of potency, such as expenses that were calculated earlier but the amount was too large, or the sudden encounter with a severe crisis. Usually the need that drives a person into poverty has to do with five things: ordinary obligations, distress, physical incapacity, unproductive expenditures, and extortion. And from the above description, it can be seen that the factors that cause poverty are internal factors in the form of immediate needs that need to be met, but not having sufficient ability to manage the resources available to them (insufficient skills, minimal education, and others). External factors in the form of natural disasters, such as this economic crisis, and lack of partiality in the form of policies that provide opportunities and chances for the poor. Although experts offer many opinions on the causes of poverty, there are at least two types of theories that are commonly used to explain the roots of poverty, namely marginalization theory and dependency theory(Usman), apathy, fatalism (Arifin, 2020; Tarigan et al., 2020). The poor, their characteristics tend to be weak in their ability to do business and have limited access to economic activity, so they are increasingly left behind other communities with higher potential. Meanwhile (Nadia Ika Purnama, 2017; Pateda et al., 2019; Siagian, 2018) describes various ways of measuring poverty with different standards, while taking into account two categories of poverty levels, as follows: first, absolute poverty is a condition in which a person's income level is insufficient to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, health, and education; second, relative poverty is a calculation of poverty based on the proportion of income distribution in a particular area. This type of poverty is referred to as relative poverty because it is related to the distribution of income among social strata. Chambers (Kuncoro, 2010) suggests five characteristics of disadvantage that surround poor people or poor families, including: poverty, physical weakness, isolation, and powerlessness. ( Jonaidi, 2012; Kuncoro, 2013) argues about the profile of poverty as follows: the problem of poverty is not only a welfare problem, it contains six causes, among which is a problem of vulnerability. Poverty means that access to various employment opportunities is closed because production relations in society do not allow participation in the production process. Problems of mistrust, feelings of powerlessness, emotional and social in the face of the village elite and bureaucrats who make decisions about him without allowing him to actualize himself, thereby rendering him helpless. Poverty also means spending most of one's income on the consumption of food of limited quality and quantity. A high dependency ratio, due to the large number of families. Further (Rachmawati, 2011) put forward five characteristics of the poor, among others: lacking their own factors of production, unable to obtain productive assets by their own efforts, educational attainment generally low, many lacking amenities, among them relatively young and lacking skills or education. Understanding the characteristics of poverty is necessary to know what policy strategies are relevant to poverty reduction efforts. ([BPS] Central Bureau of Statistics, 2019) give a specific formulation of what the main indicators of poverty are: 1. The area of the residential building is less than 8 m2 per person. 2. The type of living floor is of cheap ground/bamboo/ wood. 3. Residential wall types made of bamboo/rumbia/ low quality wood/unplastered walls. Three Seas Economic Journal 5 Vol. 3 No. 3, 2022 4. Have no defecation devices or together with other households. 5. Domestic light sources do not use electricity. 6. Sources of drinking water are wells/unprotected sources/rivers/rainwater. 7. The fuel for daily cooking is wood/coal/kerosene. 8. Eat meat/milk/chicken only once a week. 9. Buy only one new set of clothes per year. 10. Able to eat only once/twice a day. 11. Unable to pay the cost of treatment in hospitals. 12. Sources of income for the head of household are: farmers with 500 m2 or more of land for agricultural workers, fishermen, construction workers, plantation workers and or other jobs with an income below IDR 600,000 per month. 13. Higher education of the head of household: no school / did not finish elementary school/finished elementary school. 14. Do not have savings/goods that can easily be sold for at least Rs. 500,000, such as credit/non-credit motorcycles, gold, livestock, motor boats or other capital goods. (Sari, 2019; Tarigan et al., 2020) There are many definitions of poverty in the literature, but they can basically be divided into three definitions of poverty. Absolute poverty, relative poverty, cultural poverty. A person is considered truly poor if his or her income is below the poverty line and insufficient to meet the basic necessities of life: food, clothing, health, housing, and education. (Pratiwi et al., 2020; Rini & Sugiharti, 2017) People who are classified as relatively poor actually live above the poverty line, but still below the capabilities of the surrounding community. Cultural poverty is closely related to the attitudes of people or community groups who do not try to improve their standard of living, even if other parties try to help them. In addition, the poverty line is a measure of a community 's average ability to meet minimum living needs. 4. Research methods This research is a study using the literature review or literature review method. A literature review is a comprehensive review of research done on a particular topic to show the reader what is already known about the topic and what is unknown, to find a rationale for the research done or ideas for further research (Denney & Tewksbury, 2013). Literature research is the process of finding theoretical references in the relevant literature for various problems or cases being studied. These references were obtained and found from journals, research report articles, and Internet websites related to the study of poverty (Sugiyono, 2017). The end result of the literature-based research is a response to the formulation of the problem with a selection of highly relevant literature. The goal is to reinforce the problem and as a theoretical basis for research, as well as a basis for research related to concepts related to poverty itself (Moleong, 2017). 5. Results and discussion Previous literacy research shows that many factors influence poverty: First, at the micro-level, poverty arises from unequal patterns of resource ownership that lead to unequal income distribution. The poor have only limited resources and of poor quality. Second, poverty arises from differences in the quality of human resources. Low quality of human resources means low productivity, which in turn leads to lower wages. The low quality of human resources is due to low levels of education, disadvantageous fate, discrimination, or heredity. Third, poverty arises from differences in access to capital (Kuncoro, 2013). Underdevelopment, market imperfections, and lack of capital lead to low productivity. Low productivity leads to low income that they earn. Low income leads to low savings and investment. Low investment leads to underdevelopment, and so on. The fourth causal factor is the workforce, which includes poor quality labor education, low skill levels, lack of productivity, and low wages (Bodea and Herman) (Arifin, 2020). The fifth factor is natural disasters, which include famine and drought (Rini & Sugiharti, 2017). The sixth factor is inflation, which includes economic growth, export-import, exchange rates and interest rates. The seventh factor is government policy, which includes subsidies, taxes and government spending (Ferezagia, 2018; Pateda et al., 2019; Suripto & Subayil, 2020). The eighth factor is the environment, which includes unfavorable natural conditions, population, geographic location, and isolation. And finally, the educational factors, which include education with no clear direction, poor educational outcomes, unequal education, and poor quality of education (Arifin & Wijaya, 2016; Kuncoro, 2010, 2013). 6. Addressing poverty issues (Nafi'ah, 2021) Understanding and solving the problem of poverty is certainly interesting for the observation of economic theory, to break the vicious circle of poverty can improve the skills of human resources, increase investment capital and the development of technology. (Primandhana, 2022) Understanding and solving the problem of poverty is certainly interesting for the observation of economic theory, to break the vicious circle of poverty can improve the skills of human resources, increase investment capital and the development of Three Seas Economic Journal 6 Vol. 3 No. 3, 2022 technology (Zuhdiyaty & Kaluge, 2018). Indonesia's response to poverty is still dominated by the economic zone and does not address other aspects such as social, cultural, legal, political and even religious. Paradigmatic errors in understanding poverty, of course, lead to the wrong analysis. That is, the variables that are important for overcoming poverty need to be taken into account. On the other hand, it contains irrelevant variables, so it does not provide biased estimates and expected results. The human-centered approach to development is very relevant as a policy paradigm for decentralization in addressing social problems, including poverty. This approach recognizes the importance of community capacity to increase independence and internal strength through the ability to exercise internal control over tangible and intangible resources. Korten (Arifin & Wijaya, 2016; Jonaidi, 2012) states that there are three basics for carrying out structural and normative changes in people-centred development: 1. Focusing public policy thinking and action on creating conditions that encourage and support people's efforts to meet their own needs and solve their own problems at the individual, family, and community levels. 2. Develop structures and processes for organizations that operate under the rules of organizational systems. 3. Develop systems of production-consumption organized according to the territorial principle based on the principles of local ownership and control. (Arsyad, 2012; Kuncoro, 2010) The human- centered model of development, however, places more emphasis on empowerment. This model views people's creative initiatives as the most important resource for development and views people's material and spiritual well-being as the goal to be achieved in the development process. Strategic research on community empowerment, whether economic, social, cultural or political, is important as a contribution to reformulating the human-centered development model. This reformulation provides a tremendous opportunity for participatory community develop-ment. In participatory development, empowerment is one strategy that is considered appropriate if the determinants are conditioned in such a way that the essence of empowerment is not distorted. (Prawoto et al., 2009) Given some of the shortcomings of the anti-poverty paradigm, there are strategies that need to be implemented to overcome poverty. Poverty is multifaceted, so anti-poverty programs should not only prioritize economic aspects, but also pay attention to other aspects. This means that in addition to prioritizing basic needs, we should strive to overcome non-economic poverty. Poverty reduction strategies should focus on the reduction of cultural values. Moreover, effective anti- poverty measures must overcome structural and political barriers. 1. The strategies chosen to increase capacity and productivity are health and education, business skills improvement, technology, network expansion, and market information. 2. The decision-making process, the involvement of the poor in the whole process of poverty reduction, which begins with planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. 3. Empowerment Strategy. The Rural People's Group, led by a group of experts and NGO activists, emphasized that if the government wants to give freedom to these groups to self-regulate, the poor are a group that can develop on their own. In truth, the data on poverty, both quantitative and qualitative in terms of community behavior, capacity, and competitiveness, are local government data. The regional strategy creates a climate that allows the community to develop, strengthens the potential and power of the community, as well as a model for community empowerment. 4. The strategy of direct assistance (BLT) to the poor that has been implemented so far is very short- term. The developed strategy, which has a long-term orientation, is actually indirect assistance, which expands opportunities. e.g. programs to improve labor/business abilities and skills through education and job training, business networking, and market information, help with working capital. (Arifin, 2020; Arifin & Wijaya, 2016) This condition reflects the need for an urgent change in the role of government from that of provider of social services to that of facilitator, mediator, coordinator, educator, mobilizer, support system and other roles that are more focused on indirect services. The role of local organizations, community organizations, NGOs and other community groups is more encouraged as agents of change and the provision of social services to vulnerable groups or society as a whole. In this position, social problems are solved by the community with the assistance of the government. (Nafi'ah, 2021; Prawoto et al., 2009) Regarding empowerment strategies, it is argued that there are three main empowerment strategies in social change practice, namely traditional, direct action, and transformation: 1) Traditional strategy, assumes knowledge and free choice of best interests in different circumstances, 2) direct action strategy, requires dominant interests that are respected by all parties involved, in terms of the changes that may occur, and 3) transformational strategy, shows that mass education in the long run is necessary before identifying self-interest. Each strategy consists of theories, concepts, and skills closely related to each strategy, which are then broken down into eight specific theories, ten Three Seas Economic Journal 7 Vol. 3 No. 3, 2022 concepts, and twelve skills. All of the signs in the matrix provide enough information to ensure that they relate to each other in harmony. Using the matrix will ensure that important parts of the practice of social change are made clear to the people involved. In the initial stages, practitioners would do well to familiarize themselves with the three basic components – theory, concepts, and skills – and try to understand the three categories. Based on this, a comparison of three different methods of social change can be made. ( Jonaidi, 2012) The following factors are necessary for the successful implemen- tation of the strategy: 1. Efforts to reduce poverty must be compre- hensive, integrated, multisectoral, and appropriate to the local context and culture. There is no one-size- fits-all anti-poverty policy. 2. Pay attention to the process aspect, don't ignore the income from the process. Make poor people feel their way out of the cycle of poverty. 3. It is a result and involvement of many parties, and a process of consultation in dialogue with all stakeholders, especially the poor. 4. Raise awareness and concern among all stakeholders and encourage stakeholders to play appropriate roles in creating ownership of the program. 5. Provide as much space as possible for the creation of various public initiatives and creativity at different levels. In this case, the government acts only as an initiator of the process, then as an intermediary, and in the end there is a mutual agreement on a framework of conditions and procedures to reduce poverty. 6. The government and other stakeholders (NGOs, universities, businessmen, civil society, political parties, social and religious institutions) can work together to help each other. 7. Budget managers must recognize the importance of fighting poverty and ensure that this effort is a top priority for all programs in all agencies. (Kuncoro, 2013; Noor, 2011) Thus, the fight against poverty becomes a movement of the people, by the people, and for the people. In general, the strategic programs for poverty reduction that can be implemented are: 1. Opening up business opportunities and possibilities for the poor to participate in the process of economic development. 2. Policies and programs to empower the poor. Because of the multifaceted nature of poverty, it is not enough to rely only on an economic approach, policies and programs must also be developed in the social, political, legal, and institutional fields. 3. 3. Policies and programs to protect the poor. The poor lack the resilience and security to cope with these shocks, which lead to shocks internally (e.g., death, illness, dismissal of head of household) and externally (e.g., unemployment, natural disasters, social). Very vulnerable to conflict. 4. Strategies and programs to overcome the intergenerational legacy of poverty. Children's rights and the role of women. Poverty is often passed on from generation to generation. Therefore, it is necessary to break the chain of inherited poverty. Increasing the role of women in education and the family is one of the keys to breaking the chain of poverty. 1. Policies and programs to strengthen rural autonomy. Rural autonomy can be a space for rural communities to overcome their own poverty. (Suharlina, 2020; Suripto & Subayil, 2020) note that the process of community development should be assumed on the following principles: the direction of community growth always rests on increasing participation in social structures. 2. The emergence of the various conditions of dissatisfaction felt by citizens today should be used as a starting point for community development programs. 3. The dissatisfaction felt and experienced by community members should be channeled into joint plans and actions to solve problems. 4. Community development programs must involve leaders who are identified and accepted by the various major social groups in society. 5. Organizations implementing community development programs should develop effective channels of communication within the various key social groups in the community, and strengthen the ability of these groups to collaborate with each other in implementing flexible working procedures without disrupting the regular decision-making model. 6. Determination of community development programs should be based on collaborative decisions by community members themselves, taking into account the speed of community steps and fully involving community members in the development planning process. (Nafi'ah, 2021; Rachmawati, 2011) community development is considered very important, the following considerations are made: 1. A healthy society is a product of an active society. 2. A planning process that is originated and desired by the community is better than planning that comes from the authorities. 3. The process of participation in community development is the prevention of various ignorant attitudes of individuals in society. 4. A strong empowerment process in community efforts is the basis of strength for the community. (Arifin, 2020; Prawoto et al., 2009) Another attempt to solve the problem of poverty is the active participation of the entire community through a mass movement. This movement is conducted to remove the impression that poverty reduction efforts are "only " the responsibility of government. Three Seas Economic Journal 8 Vol. 3 No. 3, 2022 Active community participation also shows that the community has a deep empathy that is built on the principles of compassion, empathy, and caring. (Pateda et al., 2019; Suharlina, 2020) The govern- ment's concern for poverty reduction can be seen in the Comprehensive Poverty Reduction Movement (Gerdu Taskin) launched by the government in 1998. Gerdu Taskin is an integrated and comprehensive anti-poverty program run by the government, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and community-based organizations. The program involves the general public as well as poor families themselves. As a concrete effort in that direction, since 1998/1999 the District Develop- ment Program (PPK) policy has been implemented, and the Urban Poverty Alleviation Program (P2KP) hereinafter referred to as the National Community Empowerment Program (PNPM-PPK or PNPM-P2KP), which substantively inspires active participation of the community in participating in the poverty alleviation movement. (Pratiwi et al., 2020) emphasized that the community empowerment program was designed by the government to solve three main development problems, namely unemployment, inequality, and poverty alleviation. The recommended poverty alleviation efforts according to (Hadiyanti, 2008; Noor, 2011). Community empowerment policies are nothing less than policies of providing spaces, public facilities, and opportunities that promote the abilities and capabilities of poor community groups to overcome their own problems, rather than actually pressuring them and pushing them to the margins or into dependency. (Sari, 2019; Suharlina, 2020) stated that there are three basic program strategies that aim to help the poor, namely: 1. Aid is directed to places where the majority of the poor live through comprehensive village development programs or village-oriented service production projects. 2. Assistance is aimed at overcoming the limitations in the standard of living of the poor through programs to meet basic human needs. 3. Aid focuses on groups with similar socio- economic characteristics that encourage or support them to continue in the cycle of poverty, through community-specific projects. 7. Conclusions The level of poverty can be directly and indirectly influenced by several factors: starting with the level and rate of growth of production (labor productivity). The level of inflation. The level of investment. The distribution and quality of natural resources. The level and type of education. The work ethic and motivation of workers. The problem of poverty has been around for a long time and still is. In fact, many anti-poverty programs have been implemented by the government, but have not brought significant change. Poverty reduction programs have been implemented in many countries. The development strategy devised by the Indonesian state has so far been based on high rates of economic growth. After projections of high economic growth, income is unequally distributed among all population groups. The gap between growth and equity. Observing some of the errors of the poverty reduction paradigm, when the analysis must derive the variables that are meaningful for overcoming poverty, it is those variables that are not meaningful, so the strategies that must be adopted to overcome poverty: must also not only give priority to the economic aspect, but also pay attention to other dimensions; to increase capacity and productivity, the chosen strategy is to increase the basic income-raising capacity of the poor; to involve the poor in the whole process of poverty reduction; and to pursue a strategy of empowerment. 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