Ecuadorean scholar Mauricio Rodas argues that poverty is not just a lack of income, but a muchmore complex phenomenon involving rights, liberties, and capabilities. He guides the audience through the Ethos Poverty Index, a comprehensive measure that examines both individual households and the larger social and political context. Rodas maintains that his research proves that political ideologies have nothing to do with alleviating poverty; whether from the right or left,responsible governance is the key to economic development.