From Paraguay to 62 Countries: Martin Burt's Bold New Framework for Eliminating Poverty
Updated: Jul 27
Martin Burt, Founder and CEO of Fundación Paraguaya (Paraguay Development Foundation) and former Mayor of Asunción, joins Alberto Lidji to discuss a fundamentally different approach to eliminating poverty. Rather than focusing solely on income or government interventions, Burt argues that lasting change begins with families, dignity, and the entrepreneurial spirit.
The conversation explores the Poverty Stoplight, a framework now used in 62 countries that enables families to assess their own multidimensional poverty across objective measures such as housing and income, alongside subjective factors including motivation, self-esteem, and aspirations. By identifying their own priorities and connecting with practical solutions, families become active agents in their journey out of poverty.
Martin explains why empowerment matters as much as economics, why families should define what it means to be "not poor," and how this locally developed methodology from Paraguay is reshaping poverty alleviation across the Global South and the Global North. He also reflects on lessons from four decades in economic development, public service, and social innovation, offering a compelling vision for putting human flourishing at the heart of development.
About Dr Martín Burt
Dr. Martín Burt is a Paraguayan social entrepreneur who has developed various anti-poverty and educational social innovations that are currently being implemented in more than 60 countries. He is the founder and CEO of Fundación Paraguaya, a social enterprise named Latin America’s most impactful and innovative development organization by the Inter-American Development Bank.
Dr. Burt currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Foodbanking Network in the US, the Bertoni Nature Conservancy Foundation in Paraguay and Teach A Man to Fish in the UK.
In public service, he has served as Chief of Staff to the President of Paraguay, was elected Mayor of Asunción, and was appointed Vice Minister of Commerce.
Dr. Burt has written books on economics, development, municipal government, poetry and education. His latest books are “Who Owns Poverty?” (2019) and Paraguay without Poverty: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide (2023).
He has received awards from organizations including Skoll Foundation, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Synergos, Eisenhower Fellowship, Avina Foundation, Inter-American Development Bank, World Innovation Summit for Education, and Nestlé.
He holds a PhD from Tulane University and is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.