Ƙungiyoyi da dama sun yi bincike kan manyan dalilan talauci, tun daga rashin albarkatu, zuwa yanayin yankin, har zuwa rashin dimokuraɗiyya. Gabaɗaya masana ilimin zamantakewa da cibiyoyin tunani ba su cimma matsaya guda kan dalilan ba. Sai dai wata ra'ayi mai rinjaye da ke yawo ita ce cewa maganin shi ne kawai yaɗuwar jari-hujja da kasuwanni marasa iyaka. Idan aka duba da sauri ba kawai duniyar Musulmi ba, har ma ƙasashen duniya ta uku baki ɗaya, a bayyane yake cewa wasu ƴan abubuwa ne suka taka babbar rawa wajen haifar da talauci a duniya a yau, ba ƙarancin abinci ba.

Numerous organisations have researched into the general causes of poverty which range from the lack of resources to the nature of the local climate to the lack of democracy. There is generally no consensus on the causes by sociologists and think tanks. However, a dominant idea that exists is that only the diffusion of capitalism with its free markets is the cure. A cursory glance at not just the Muslim world but the third world in general shows a handful of factors have played a large part in contributing to the poverty in the world today rather than the shortage of food.

Rawar da Asusun Lamuni na Duniya (IMF) da Bankin Duniya da manufofinsu masu daukar hankali na daidaita tattalin arziki (structural adjustment) a kasashe irin su Pakistan, Turkiyya, Indonesiya, Bangladesh da Masar sun taimaka kai tsaye wajen haifar wasu daga cikin matsalolin tattalin arziki da ke tattare da wadannan kasashe. Mafita da wadannan cibiyoyi suke bayarwa gaba daya ita ce a fita daga talauci ta hanyar cinikayya. An tilasta wa kasashen aiwatar da manufofi kamar rage da kawar da ajiyar hatsi, kawar da harajin shigo da abinci daga Turai da Amurka, da cire tallafin takin zamani da sauran kayan aikin noma. Abin da wannan ke nufi a zahiri shi ne ya kamata a shigo da kayayyakin Yammaci maimakon barin shigo da kaya daga kasashe matalauta. Ra'ayin shi ne cewa ta hanyar cinikayya kadai al'ummomi za su iya fitar da kansu daga talauci. Don haka an ga cewa bunkasar tattalin arziki mai tsarin kasuwa, tare da babban matsayi ga bangaren masu zaman kansu, ita ce mabudin habaka tattalin arziki da kawar da talauci.

The role of IMF and World Bank and their notorious structural adjustment policies in countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Egypt have directly aided some of the underlying economic problems. The general solution provided by such institutions is one of trading their way out of poverty. They were forced to implement policies such as reducing and eliminating grain reserves, eliminating tariffs on food coming from Europe and the US and removing subsidies for fertilizer and other agricultural inputs. What this actually means is that Western goods should be imported rather than allow imports from poorer countries. The theory is that only via trade will nations pull themselves out of poverty. The development of a market economy with a greater role for the private sector was therefore seen as the key to stimulating economic growth and removing poverty.

Misali, Pakistan ta buƙaci zuba jari mai muhimmanci a fannin lafiya, ilimi da ababen more rayuwa kafin ta iya yin gogayya a kasuwannin duniya. Bankin Duniya da Asusun Lamuni na Duniya (IMF) sun buƙaci Pakistan da ta rage tallafin gwamnati ga waɗannan fannoni, ta kuma mayar da hankali kan fitar da kaya zuwa waje. Sun matsa mata lamba ta shiga kasuwannin da ba ta iya yin gogayya da ƙarfin kamfanoni masu zaman kansu na duniya ba. Irin waɗannan manufofi babu makawa sun raunana ci gaban tattalin arzikin Pakistan.

As an example, Pakistan actually required essential investment in health, education and infrastructure before they could compete internationally. The World Bank and IMF instead required Pakistan to reduce state support to these sectors and concentrate on exports. They insisted on pushing Pakistan into markets where they were unable to compete with the might of the international private sector. Such policies inevitably undermined the economic development of Pakistan.

Wani abu kuma da ya kama talakawan duniya ta uku da talauci shi ne bashi. Ana neman Afirka ta biya gadon bashin zamanin mulkin mallaka. Bashin Afirka a wani bangare yana samuwa ne sakamakon rashin adalci na mika mata bashin kasashen mulkin mallaka, a biliyoyin daloli, a kan kudin ruwa mai tsada sosai. Haka kuma yana fitowa ne daga 'bashin zalunci', inda aka ciwo bashi yayin da kasashe masu arziki suka ba da kudi ga azzalumai da shugabanni masu cin hanci, alhali an san cewa za a barnata kudin. Misali, Afirka ta Kudu ta gaji "bashin da apartheid ya haifar" na dala biliyan 28 (wanda yanzu ya kai dala biliyan 46). Bayan apartheid, Afirka ta Kudu ta tilastu wa kanta biyan basussukan da gwamnatin apartheid ta ciwo, don haka, a zahiri, 'yan Afirka ta Kudu suna biyan kudin zaluncinsu da kansu. A shekarar 1998, ACTSA (Action for Southern Africa) ta kiyasta cewa Afirka ta Kudu ta ciwo bashin dala biliyan 11 (yanzu dala biliyan 18) don ci gaba da apartheid, sannan kasashe makwabta sun ciwo dala biliyan 17 (yanzu dala biliyan 28) saboda apartheid. Saboda haka, tayar da zaune tsaye da zalunci yanzu sun wakilci kashi 74 cikin 100 na bashin da Afirka ke bi. Mulkin mallaka ya taka babban rawa a talaucin duniya ta uku. Mulkin mallaka ya tabbatar da dogaro ga kasashen Yamma, wanda ya ba su damar ci gaba da kasancewa da tsoma baki a sassan duniya da ke da albarkatun ma'adinai masu yawa. Afirka a yau har yanzu tana shan wahala sakamakon tsoma bakin Yamma wanda ya fara tun zamanin mulkin mallaka, kuma an tilasta mata mayar da hankali kan kayayyakin masarufi da al'ummomin asali ba za su taba iya saya ba.

Another factor which has handcuffed the third world in poverty is debt. Africa is being asked to repay its legacy of the colonial era. Africa’s debt is partly the result of the unjust transfer to them of the debts of the colonizing states, in billions of dollars, at very high interest rates. It also originates from ‘odious debt’, whereby debt was incurred as rich countries loaned funds to dictators and corrupt leaders when it was known that the money would be wasted. South Africa, for example inherited “apartheid-caused debt” at $28 billion (which is now $46 billion). Post Apartheid Africa was forced to repay debts incurred by the apartheid regime so, in effect, South Africans are paying for their own oppression. In 1998 ACTSA (Action for Southern Africa) estimated that South Africa borrowed $11 billion (now $18 billion) to maintain apartheid, and neighbouring states borrowed $17 billion (now $28 billion) because of apartheid. Therefore, destabilisation and aggression now represents 74% of African owed debt. Colonialism has played a large part in the poverty of the third world. Colonialism has ensured dependency on the West, which allowed the continued presence and interference in parts of the world where extensive mineral resources exist. Africa today still labours from Western interference which began in the colonial era and has been forced to concentrate on commodities which the native populations would never be able to purchase.