We go further in arguing that ethical perspectives not only provide insights into public understanding of poverty and of the priority attached to achieving poverty reduction, but it also throws light on the scope and design of the institutions and policies charged with addressing poverty. Several ethical perspectives exist and are capable of illuminating these issues. Relevant ethical perspectives include egalitarian, utilitarian, priority, sufficiency and humanitarian perspectives.3 In our view, these perspectives have implications for defining the concept, scope and significance of poverty and poverty reduction.