Majority of People Lack Access to Markets

BIPPR writes:

The World Resources Institute has published a report on the 4 billion people who live on or below the poverty line - at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP). They dwell not so much on the poverty, but on the fact that the BOP population segments are, for the most part, not integrated into the global market economy and do not benefit from it.

They write there is no proper market economy, either local or global, they have access to. Without access to larger trade markets they are disadvantaged and likely to remain in poverty. In local markets they are often exploited by their employers, or through middlemen. They do not have access to the basic economic resources, that we have in the West, for example, bank accounts, communication media, information libraries.

As a result - and this is surprising - they are likely to pay more for basic goods and services then wealthier people, either in cash or in the effort they must extend to obtain them.