David Brady
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195385878
- eISBN:
- 9780199870066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195385878.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter begins by reviewing the shortcomings of the official U.S. measure of poverty, arguing that it is unreliable and invalid. Then, the chapter reviews major theoretical and methodological ...
More
This chapter begins by reviewing the shortcomings of the official U.S. measure of poverty, arguing that it is unreliable and invalid. Then, the chapter reviews major theoretical and methodological advances in poverty measurement and advocates five criteria in the measurement of poverty: (1) to measure comparative historical variation effectively, (2) to be relative rather than absolute, (3) to conceptualize poverty as social exclusion and capability deprivation, (4) to incorporate taxes and transfers, and (5) to integrate the depth of poverty. Overall, the aim is to facilitate the integration of theoretical and methodological advances into the empirical measurement of poverty. Also, criticisms are made of absolute measures of poverty, the measurement of poverty before taxes and transfers, and measures of redistribution. This chapter makes a theoretical argument regarding how poverty should be measured for the study of affluent democracies.Less
This chapter begins by reviewing the shortcomings of the official U.S. measure of poverty, arguing that it is unreliable and invalid. Then, the chapter reviews major theoretical and methodological advances in poverty measurement and advocates five criteria in the measurement of poverty: (1) to measure comparative historical variation effectively, (2) to be relative rather than absolute, (3) to conceptualize poverty as social exclusion and capability deprivation, (4) to incorporate taxes and transfers, and (5) to integrate the depth of poverty. Overall, the aim is to facilitate the integration of theoretical and methodological advances into the empirical measurement of poverty. Also, criticisms are made of absolute measures of poverty, the measurement of poverty before taxes and transfers, and measures of redistribution. This chapter makes a theoretical argument regarding how poverty should be measured for the study of affluent democracies.
Fred Campano and Dominick Salvatore
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195300918
- eISBN:
- 9780199783441
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195300912.003.0008
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter addresses some of the normative issues related to poverty. Both absolute and relative poverty are discussed as well as the more common poverty measures. The connection between the income ...
More
This chapter addresses some of the normative issues related to poverty. Both absolute and relative poverty are discussed as well as the more common poverty measures. The connection between the income distribution model and the computation of the poverty measure is illustrated.Less
This chapter addresses some of the normative issues related to poverty. Both absolute and relative poverty are discussed as well as the more common poverty measures. The connection between the income distribution model and the computation of the poverty measure is illustrated.
Lane Kenworthy
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199591527
- eISBN:
- 9780191731389
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199591527.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
One of the principal goals of antipoverty efforts should be to improve the absolute living standards of the least well-off. This book aims to enhance our understanding of how to do that.
One of the principal goals of antipoverty efforts should be to improve the absolute living standards of the least well-off. This book aims to enhance our understanding of how to do that.
Sabina Alkire
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199245796
- eISBN:
- 9780191600838
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245797.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Each of the four chapters of Part I of the book synthesizes one aspect that must be specified in the operationalization of the capability approach, then proposes a framework for doing so. This fifth ...
More
Each of the four chapters of Part I of the book synthesizes one aspect that must be specified in the operationalization of the capability approach, then proposes a framework for doing so. This fifth chapter returns to the issues of whether basic capabilities pertaining to absolute poverty may be identified from without, and whether in poverty reduction activities it is necessary to focus on ‘achieving functionings’ rather than ‘expanding capabilities’. It applies the account of values and decision‐making processes built up in the previous three chapters to the issue of poverty with which economic development is concerned, and asks what, in practice, it means to address absolute poverty within the capability approach—whether and if ‘basic capabilities’ can be specified. It discusses the relativity of these basic capabilities, and the operational implications of focusing on capability rather than functionings, and finally proposes a schematic four‐part operational definition for pursuing capabilities. The focus is on Amartya Sen's work.Less
Each of the four chapters of Part I of the book synthesizes one aspect that must be specified in the operationalization of the capability approach, then proposes a framework for doing so. This fifth chapter returns to the issues of whether basic capabilities pertaining to absolute poverty may be identified from without, and whether in poverty reduction activities it is necessary to focus on ‘achieving functionings’ rather than ‘expanding capabilities’. It applies the account of values and decision‐making processes built up in the previous three chapters to the issue of poverty with which economic development is concerned, and asks what, in practice, it means to address absolute poverty within the capability approach—whether and if ‘basic capabilities’ can be specified. It discusses the relativity of these basic capabilities, and the operational implications of focusing on capability rather than functionings, and finally proposes a schematic four‐part operational definition for pursuing capabilities. The focus is on Amartya Sen's work.
Surjit S. Bhalla
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199558032
- eISBN:
- 9780191721335
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199558032.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Macro- and Monetary Economics, Development, Growth, and Environmental
There are two standard approaches to the measurement of poverty: an exclusive survey-based method, and the alternative method of using distribution from the surveys and means from the national ...
More
There are two standard approaches to the measurement of poverty: an exclusive survey-based method, and the alternative method of using distribution from the surveys and means from the national accounts data. Over the last two decades, household surveys have shown a disturbing trend in terms of the decreasing amount of survey ‘capture’ of national accounts data. This chapter suggests a third method for measuring poverty; this method imputes the growth rate in national accounts consumption to the mean in the benchmark year 1987. The results using this method show world poverty decline to be considerably larger than that revealed by the ‘official’ World Bank exclusive survey method. This finding forms the basis of the suggestion that the world poverty line needs to be raised in order to reflect the drift from absolute to relative poverty in the developing world. The chapter also emphasizes the lack of any relationship, theoretical or empirical, between initial inequality and future trends in poverty. What matters is the inequality around the poverty line, not overall inequality.Less
There are two standard approaches to the measurement of poverty: an exclusive survey-based method, and the alternative method of using distribution from the surveys and means from the national accounts data. Over the last two decades, household surveys have shown a disturbing trend in terms of the decreasing amount of survey ‘capture’ of national accounts data. This chapter suggests a third method for measuring poverty; this method imputes the growth rate in national accounts consumption to the mean in the benchmark year 1987. The results using this method show world poverty decline to be considerably larger than that revealed by the ‘official’ World Bank exclusive survey method. This finding forms the basis of the suggestion that the world poverty line needs to be raised in order to reflect the drift from absolute to relative poverty in the developing world. The chapter also emphasizes the lack of any relationship, theoretical or empirical, between initial inequality and future trends in poverty. What matters is the inequality around the poverty line, not overall inequality.
Martin Ravallion
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199239115
- eISBN:
- 9780191716935
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199239115.003.0021
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter reviews the theory and evidence supporting a relativist approach to poverty measurement. It identifies various sources of welfare interdependence, including the idea of ‘relative ...
More
This chapter reviews the theory and evidence supporting a relativist approach to poverty measurement. It identifies various sources of welfare interdependence, including the idea of ‘relative deprivation’ as well as other (positive and negative) welfare effects for poor people of belonging to a better-off group. An economic model combines informal risk-sharing with the idea of a ‘positional good’, and conditions are derived in which the relative deprivation effect dominates, implying a relative poverty measure. The chapter then reviews the problems encountered in testing for relative deprivation effects and presents some micro evidence from Malawi. While the results are consistent with the emphasis given to absolute level of living in development policy discussions, relative deprivation is evident in this poor but unequal country, and it is likely to become more important as the country develops.Less
This chapter reviews the theory and evidence supporting a relativist approach to poverty measurement. It identifies various sources of welfare interdependence, including the idea of ‘relative deprivation’ as well as other (positive and negative) welfare effects for poor people of belonging to a better-off group. An economic model combines informal risk-sharing with the idea of a ‘positional good’, and conditions are derived in which the relative deprivation effect dominates, implying a relative poverty measure. The chapter then reviews the problems encountered in testing for relative deprivation effects and presents some micro evidence from Malawi. While the results are consistent with the emphasis given to absolute level of living in development policy discussions, relative deprivation is evident in this poor but unequal country, and it is likely to become more important as the country develops.
David Gordon and Shailen Nandy
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781847424822
- eISBN:
- 9781447307235
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781847424822.003.0004
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
The chapter describes how relative deprivation theory can be used to produce valid and reliable estimates of the extent and nature of child poverty both within and between countries. A worked example ...
More
The chapter describes how relative deprivation theory can be used to produce valid and reliable estimates of the extent and nature of child poverty both within and between countries. A worked example using data from Mexico is provided to show how the methodology can be used to produce scientific estimates of poverty which conform to national standards. The chapter also examines the practical and theoretical problems of adapting three commonly-used poverty measurement methods (World Bank's ‘dollar-a-day’, the Wealth/Asset Index and the recent UNDP's Multidimensional Poverty method) to study the child poverty.Less
The chapter describes how relative deprivation theory can be used to produce valid and reliable estimates of the extent and nature of child poverty both within and between countries. A worked example using data from Mexico is provided to show how the methodology can be used to produce scientific estimates of poverty which conform to national standards. The chapter also examines the practical and theoretical problems of adapting three commonly-used poverty measurement methods (World Bank's ‘dollar-a-day’, the Wealth/Asset Index and the recent UNDP's Multidimensional Poverty method) to study the child poverty.
Richard V. Burkhauser
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199860586
- eISBN:
- 9780199932948
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199860586.003.0004
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy, Children and Families
This chapter considers the implications for the EU of the American experience in measuring poverty. It begins by considering different dimensions within which both the EU and the United States must ...
More
This chapter considers the implications for the EU of the American experience in measuring poverty. It begins by considering different dimensions within which both the EU and the United States must make analytical decisions in order to operationalize an income-based measure of poverty. It then turns to the fundamental concepts that the EU's relative poverty measure and the US absolute measure seek to address. It argues that relative poverty rates emerge from a social context where reducing dispersion in income is seen as a primary social goal and that this tradition has been more prevalent in European history. Absolute poverty rates tend to emerge from consideration of the minimum income necessary to live at a subsistence level, which is consistent with the tradition of thinking on this issue in the United States. At a technical level, there are refinements to the US method of measuring poverty that could usefully be drawn from the EU approach.Less
This chapter considers the implications for the EU of the American experience in measuring poverty. It begins by considering different dimensions within which both the EU and the United States must make analytical decisions in order to operationalize an income-based measure of poverty. It then turns to the fundamental concepts that the EU's relative poverty measure and the US absolute measure seek to address. It argues that relative poverty rates emerge from a social context where reducing dispersion in income is seen as a primary social goal and that this tradition has been more prevalent in European history. Absolute poverty rates tend to emerge from consideration of the minimum income necessary to live at a subsistence level, which is consistent with the tradition of thinking on this issue in the United States. At a technical level, there are refinements to the US method of measuring poverty that could usefully be drawn from the EU approach.
Martin Ravallion
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780190212766
- eISBN:
- 9780190212803
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190212766.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The last thirty years has seen much progress against extreme poverty in the world—a faster pace of progress than was seen over the prior 100 years or more of economic development globally. However, ...
More
The last thirty years has seen much progress against extreme poverty in the world—a faster pace of progress than was seen over the prior 100 years or more of economic development globally. However, continuing progress is far from assured. High and rising inequality has stalled progress against poverty in many countries. We are seeing generally rising relative poverty—judged by the standards of the country and time one live in— over recent decades. There has been less progress in reaching the world’s poorest, who risk being left behind. And a great many people in the emerging middle class remain vulnerable to falling back into poverty. This book aims to support well-informed efforts to put in place effective policies to assure continuing success in the fight against poverty in all its dimensions. The book reviews critically the past and present debates on the central policy issues of economic development everywhere. How much poverty is there? Why does poverty exist? What can be done to eliminate poverty? The book provides an accessible new synthesis of current knowledge on these issues. While economics is the central discipline, the book does not assume that readers know economics already. Those new to economics get a lot of help along the way in understanding its concepts and methods. Economics lives though its relevance to real world problems, and here the problem of global poverty is both the central focus and a vehicle for learning, to help assure well infomed future policy debates and policies.Less
The last thirty years has seen much progress against extreme poverty in the world—a faster pace of progress than was seen over the prior 100 years or more of economic development globally. However, continuing progress is far from assured. High and rising inequality has stalled progress against poverty in many countries. We are seeing generally rising relative poverty—judged by the standards of the country and time one live in— over recent decades. There has been less progress in reaching the world’s poorest, who risk being left behind. And a great many people in the emerging middle class remain vulnerable to falling back into poverty. This book aims to support well-informed efforts to put in place effective policies to assure continuing success in the fight against poverty in all its dimensions. The book reviews critically the past and present debates on the central policy issues of economic development everywhere. How much poverty is there? Why does poverty exist? What can be done to eliminate poverty? The book provides an accessible new synthesis of current knowledge on these issues. While economics is the central discipline, the book does not assume that readers know economics already. Those new to economics get a lot of help along the way in understanding its concepts and methods. Economics lives though its relevance to real world problems, and here the problem of global poverty is both the central focus and a vehicle for learning, to help assure well infomed future policy debates and policies.
Paul Spicker
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447343325
- eISBN:
- 9781447343363
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447343325.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
Conventional representations of poverty treat it as a condition characterized by a lack of resources. In recent years, those representations have been challenged, as poverty has increasingly come to ...
More
Conventional representations of poverty treat it as a condition characterized by a lack of resources. In recent years, those representations have been challenged, as poverty has increasingly come to be understood as a complex, multi-dimensional set of issues. It is not a single, unified idea. A ‘relative’ concept of poverty interprets the problems of poverty as socially constructed, socially defined or associated with inequality; but the idea of relative poverty still treats poverty as state of being. ‘Structural’ concepts of poverty see poverty as the product of social relationships. A relational view of poverty begins from a different conceptual base. Much of the experience of poverty is relational: examples include problems of social exclusion, lack of security, gender relationships and lack of power. The constituent elements of poverty are relational: poverty is closely identified with specific statuses such as class, dependency and lack of entitlement. Command over resources is no less relational: the things that people can buy or use, such as access to land or finance, also depend on the position of other people. Poverty is constituted by such relationships. It is, in and of itself, a relational concept.Less
Conventional representations of poverty treat it as a condition characterized by a lack of resources. In recent years, those representations have been challenged, as poverty has increasingly come to be understood as a complex, multi-dimensional set of issues. It is not a single, unified idea. A ‘relative’ concept of poverty interprets the problems of poverty as socially constructed, socially defined or associated with inequality; but the idea of relative poverty still treats poverty as state of being. ‘Structural’ concepts of poverty see poverty as the product of social relationships. A relational view of poverty begins from a different conceptual base. Much of the experience of poverty is relational: examples include problems of social exclusion, lack of security, gender relationships and lack of power. The constituent elements of poverty are relational: poverty is closely identified with specific statuses such as class, dependency and lack of entitlement. Command over resources is no less relational: the things that people can buy or use, such as access to land or finance, also depend on the position of other people. Poverty is constituted by such relationships. It is, in and of itself, a relational concept.
Christian Neuhäuser
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447341284
- eISBN:
- 9781447341338
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447341284.003.0017
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
Many people seem to believe that absolute poverty is very serious, a violation of human dignity even, while relative poverty is not. Against this assumption, I will defend the claim that both, ...
More
Many people seem to believe that absolute poverty is very serious, a violation of human dignity even, while relative poverty is not. Against this assumption, I will defend the claim that both, absolute and relative poverty, are degrading. I will do so by connecting dignity with a certain understanding of self-respect that rests on the ability to take care of oneself in basic matters of life as well as the ability to see and present oneself as a respect-worthy member of one’s society. Absolute poverty threatens the ability to take care of oneself in basic matters of life. Relative poverty threatens the ability to present and see oneself as a respect-worthy member of one’s society. The consequence of this argument is that relative poverty is also serious and real poverty in the sense that relatively poor people lack what is needed to live in dignity. It is closer to absolute poverty then commonly assumed. Relating absolute as well as relative poverty to dignity and self-respect shows that serious poverty is not only a problem for very poor societies in what is called the developing world, but also prevalent in the wealthier regions of Europe.Less
Many people seem to believe that absolute poverty is very serious, a violation of human dignity even, while relative poverty is not. Against this assumption, I will defend the claim that both, absolute and relative poverty, are degrading. I will do so by connecting dignity with a certain understanding of self-respect that rests on the ability to take care of oneself in basic matters of life as well as the ability to see and present oneself as a respect-worthy member of one’s society. Absolute poverty threatens the ability to take care of oneself in basic matters of life. Relative poverty threatens the ability to present and see oneself as a respect-worthy member of one’s society. The consequence of this argument is that relative poverty is also serious and real poverty in the sense that relatively poor people lack what is needed to live in dignity. It is closer to absolute poverty then commonly assumed. Relating absolute as well as relative poverty to dignity and self-respect shows that serious poverty is not only a problem for very poor societies in what is called the developing world, but also prevalent in the wealthier regions of Europe.
Helmut P. Gaisbauer, Gottfried Schweiger, and Clemens Sedmak
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447341284
- eISBN:
- 9781447341338
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447341284.003.0019
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
This chapter states that the hegemonic European relative poverty paradigm necessitates a complementary approach that sheds light on overlooked or neglected individuals and groups in absolute poverty ...
More
This chapter states that the hegemonic European relative poverty paradigm necessitates a complementary approach that sheds light on overlooked or neglected individuals and groups in absolute poverty in Europe. It concludes over the lessons learned by preparing ground for such a paradigmatic correlate with an approach that resists the temptation to propose a concise but again necessarily excluding conceptual framework but tries to open leeway for different scholarly debates, disciplinary perspectives and conceptual and practical approaches to why might be termed absolute poverty in Europe. This chapter closes with six perspectives on the way forward to an enhanced and more nuanced scholarly perspective on absolute poverty in an area that understands itself as an anti-thesis to destitution and absolute poverty.Less
This chapter states that the hegemonic European relative poverty paradigm necessitates a complementary approach that sheds light on overlooked or neglected individuals and groups in absolute poverty in Europe. It concludes over the lessons learned by preparing ground for such a paradigmatic correlate with an approach that resists the temptation to propose a concise but again necessarily excluding conceptual framework but tries to open leeway for different scholarly debates, disciplinary perspectives and conceptual and practical approaches to why might be termed absolute poverty in Europe. This chapter closes with six perspectives on the way forward to an enhanced and more nuanced scholarly perspective on absolute poverty in an area that understands itself as an anti-thesis to destitution and absolute poverty.
Helmut Gaisbauer, Gottfried Schweiger, and Clemens Sedmak (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447341284
- eISBN:
- 9781447341338
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447341284.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
This book examines absolute poverty in Europe, which is at the moment fairly neglected in academic and policy discourse. It opens with conceptual and methodological considerations that prepare the ...
More
This book examines absolute poverty in Europe, which is at the moment fairly neglected in academic and policy discourse. It opens with conceptual and methodological considerations that prepare the ground for an application of the concept of absolute poverty in the context of affluent societies and analyses shortcomings of social statistics as well as possibilities to include highly vulnerable groups. This includes thoughts on ethics of research in this particular field where people live under severe circumstances and research can make a difference. The book sheds light on crucial dimensions of deprivation and social exclusion of people in absolute poverty in affluent societies: access to health care, housing and nutrition, poverty related shame and violence. After conceptual and practical issues, the book investigates into different policy responses to absolute poverty in affluent societies from social policy concerns to civic organizations, e. g. food donations, and penalisation and “social cleansing” of highly visible poor. The book finally frames this discussion by profound ethical considerations and normative reasoning about absolute poverty and its alleviation, how it is related to concerns of justice/injustice as well as human dignity. Furthermore, it questions the power and importance of human rights and their judicial protection in regard of persons in absolute poverty.Less
This book examines absolute poverty in Europe, which is at the moment fairly neglected in academic and policy discourse. It opens with conceptual and methodological considerations that prepare the ground for an application of the concept of absolute poverty in the context of affluent societies and analyses shortcomings of social statistics as well as possibilities to include highly vulnerable groups. This includes thoughts on ethics of research in this particular field where people live under severe circumstances and research can make a difference. The book sheds light on crucial dimensions of deprivation and social exclusion of people in absolute poverty in affluent societies: access to health care, housing and nutrition, poverty related shame and violence. After conceptual and practical issues, the book investigates into different policy responses to absolute poverty in affluent societies from social policy concerns to civic organizations, e. g. food donations, and penalisation and “social cleansing” of highly visible poor. The book finally frames this discussion by profound ethical considerations and normative reasoning about absolute poverty and its alleviation, how it is related to concerns of justice/injustice as well as human dignity. Furthermore, it questions the power and importance of human rights and their judicial protection in regard of persons in absolute poverty.
Lane Kenworthy
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199591527
- eISBN:
- 9780191731389
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199591527.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
Economic growth has been good for the poor in the world’s rich nations since the 1970s. But not always. Some countries have experienced lengthy periods of economic growth with little or no rise in ...
More
Economic growth has been good for the poor in the world’s rich nations since the 1970s. But not always. Some countries have experienced lengthy periods of economic growth with little or no rise in the incomes of low-end households. When growth has trickled down to the poor, government transfers have been the principal conduit. It is in countries that have increased transfers in concert with per capita GDP that the incomes of the poor have tended to rise.Less
Economic growth has been good for the poor in the world’s rich nations since the 1970s. But not always. Some countries have experienced lengthy periods of economic growth with little or no rise in the incomes of low-end households. When growth has trickled down to the poor, government transfers have been the principal conduit. It is in countries that have increased transfers in concert with per capita GDP that the incomes of the poor have tended to rise.
Nicola Amendola and Fernando Salsano
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- March 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780199944590
- eISBN:
- 9780190218850
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199944590.003.0010
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic History
Some commentators argue that greater economic growth implies less absolute poverty. This is wrong. If the economic development process is accompanied by an increase in inequality, this may prevent ...
More
Some commentators argue that greater economic growth implies less absolute poverty. This is wrong. If the economic development process is accompanied by an increase in inequality, this may prevent the benefits of growth reaching the fringes of the population: the poverty and social exclusion indicators could remain the same or even worsen. The estimates presented in this chapter—based on a unique collection of household budgets covering 150 years of Italy’s history—establish a number of unknown “facts” about the incidence and depth of poverty in Italy. This knowledge enables us to evaluate how the economic progress of the country—the spectacular increase in per-capita GDP —has been distributed among the Italians and whether it reached the poorest segment of the population. No country in the world can boast an estimate of the absolute poverty trend along such a long time frame.Less
Some commentators argue that greater economic growth implies less absolute poverty. This is wrong. If the economic development process is accompanied by an increase in inequality, this may prevent the benefits of growth reaching the fringes of the population: the poverty and social exclusion indicators could remain the same or even worsen. The estimates presented in this chapter—based on a unique collection of household budgets covering 150 years of Italy’s history—establish a number of unknown “facts” about the incidence and depth of poverty in Italy. This knowledge enables us to evaluate how the economic progress of the country—the spectacular increase in per-capita GDP —has been distributed among the Italians and whether it reached the poorest segment of the population. No country in the world can boast an estimate of the absolute poverty trend along such a long time frame.
Helmut P. Gaisbauer, Gottfried Schweiger, and Clemens Sedmak
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447341284
- eISBN:
- 9781447341338
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447341284.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
This introduction examines three challenges – methods, concepts, politics – that can help to grasp what could be meant by absolute poverty in Europe and why it is something that deserves attention ...
More
This introduction examines three challenges – methods, concepts, politics – that can help to grasp what could be meant by absolute poverty in Europe and why it is something that deserves attention from politics as well as from research. A focus on absolute poverty in Europe, instead of on relative poverty and also shifting the conceptual language in this regard, is important because it challenges what can be called the “relative poverty paradigm” which has emerged as the dominant one in Europe over the past decades.Less
This introduction examines three challenges – methods, concepts, politics – that can help to grasp what could be meant by absolute poverty in Europe and why it is something that deserves attention from politics as well as from research. A focus on absolute poverty in Europe, instead of on relative poverty and also shifting the conceptual language in this regard, is important because it challenges what can be called the “relative poverty paradigm” which has emerged as the dominant one in Europe over the past decades.
Gary S. Fields
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- February 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198815501
- eISBN:
- 9780191853166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198815501.003.0013
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
“Poverty” has been defined as the inability of an individual or a family to command sufficient resources to satisfy basic needs. The workman who, in Adam Smith’s day, could not appear in public ...
More
“Poverty” has been defined as the inability of an individual or a family to command sufficient resources to satisfy basic needs. The workman who, in Adam Smith’s day, could not appear in public wearing a proper linen shirt, was ipso facto poor, not only to Smith but to Amartya Sen who, commenting on Smith’s observation, wrote: “On the space of the capabilities themselves – the direct constituent of the standard of living – escape from poverty has an absolute requirement, to wit, avoidance of this type of shame. Not so much having equal shame as others, but just not being ashamed, absolutely” (Sen 1984, p. 335). Over time, the poverty line needs to be adjusted for changes in the cost of acquiring the basket of basic needs. When the poverty line is adjusted for inflation and only for inflation, the line defines “absolute poverty.”Less
“Poverty” has been defined as the inability of an individual or a family to command sufficient resources to satisfy basic needs. The workman who, in Adam Smith’s day, could not appear in public wearing a proper linen shirt, was ipso facto poor, not only to Smith but to Amartya Sen who, commenting on Smith’s observation, wrote: “On the space of the capabilities themselves – the direct constituent of the standard of living – escape from poverty has an absolute requirement, to wit, avoidance of this type of shame. Not so much having equal shame as others, but just not being ashamed, absolutely” (Sen 1984, p. 335). Over time, the poverty line needs to be adjusted for changes in the cost of acquiring the basket of basic needs. When the poverty line is adjusted for inflation and only for inflation, the line defines “absolute poverty.”
Benedicte Ingstad and Arne H. Eide
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781847428851
- eISBN:
- 9781447302063
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781847428851.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
This book is about being disabled and being poor and the social, cultural, and political processes that link these two aspects of living in what has been characterised as a ‘vicious circle’. It is ...
More
This book is about being disabled and being poor and the social, cultural, and political processes that link these two aspects of living in what has been characterised as a ‘vicious circle’. It is also about the strengths that people show when living with disability and being poor: how they try to overcome their problems and make the best out of what little they have. The book aims to provide cross-cultural perspectives on the situation of living with a disability and being poor. This chapter discusses disability and poverty; poverty dimensions such as absolute poverty and relative poverty; the disability concept; the vicious circle of disability and poverty; overcoming poverty for people with disability with opportunity, empowerment, and security; and research on poverty and disability.Less
This book is about being disabled and being poor and the social, cultural, and political processes that link these two aspects of living in what has been characterised as a ‘vicious circle’. It is also about the strengths that people show when living with disability and being poor: how they try to overcome their problems and make the best out of what little they have. The book aims to provide cross-cultural perspectives on the situation of living with a disability and being poor. This chapter discusses disability and poverty; poverty dimensions such as absolute poverty and relative poverty; the disability concept; the vicious circle of disability and poverty; overcoming poverty for people with disability with opportunity, empowerment, and security; and research on poverty and disability.
Robert Walker
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199684823
- eISBN:
- 9780191765117
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199684823.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
This chapter documents the changing understanding of poverty, charting shifting emphases from absolute to relative measures, from unidimensional to multidimensional ones that embrace, deprivation, ...
More
This chapter documents the changing understanding of poverty, charting shifting emphases from absolute to relative measures, from unidimensional to multidimensional ones that embrace, deprivation, social exclusion and mental and social well-being, and from pragmatic to capability theories and rights-based formulations. It also briefly reports the latest statistics on the global extent of poverty. The chapter concludes that the science of poverty measurement has been shaped by political considerations and that few, if any, of the most contentious issues around the conceptualization of poverty have been permanently resolved. Definitions of poverty have been used as weapons in ideological debates and as tools by institutions jockeying for influence while the voices of those with direct experience of poverty, and who arguably know most about it, have seldom been clearly heard. Hence, until now, the shame of poverty has largely been overlooked.Less
This chapter documents the changing understanding of poverty, charting shifting emphases from absolute to relative measures, from unidimensional to multidimensional ones that embrace, deprivation, social exclusion and mental and social well-being, and from pragmatic to capability theories and rights-based formulations. It also briefly reports the latest statistics on the global extent of poverty. The chapter concludes that the science of poverty measurement has been shaped by political considerations and that few, if any, of the most contentious issues around the conceptualization of poverty have been permanently resolved. Definitions of poverty have been used as weapons in ideological debates and as tools by institutions jockeying for influence while the voices of those with direct experience of poverty, and who arguably know most about it, have seldom been clearly heard. Hence, until now, the shame of poverty has largely been overlooked.
Jonathan Bradshaw and Oleksandr Movshuk
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781447341284
- eISBN:
- 9781447341338
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447341284.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
This chapter operationalises and tests out a number of possible measures of extreme poverty applied to the European Union countries, using the analysis of household survey data from EU- Statistics on ...
More
This chapter operationalises and tests out a number of possible measures of extreme poverty applied to the European Union countries, using the analysis of household survey data from EU- Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (SILC). It starts by reviewing developments in the conventional measurement of poverty in the EU. Then the concepts of absolute and extreme poverty are discussed. The bulk of the chapter presents the results of an analysis of the poverty rates, poverty gaps and poverty composition of five conceivable measures of extreme poverty. These are: The World Bank $ per day concept; poverty thresholds based on national minimum income schemes – social assistance; a threshold set on the basis of a minimal reference budget standard; a severe deprivation standard; and an overlaps measure based on severe deprivation and low income. The latter is the preferred option.Less
This chapter operationalises and tests out a number of possible measures of extreme poverty applied to the European Union countries, using the analysis of household survey data from EU- Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (SILC). It starts by reviewing developments in the conventional measurement of poverty in the EU. Then the concepts of absolute and extreme poverty are discussed. The bulk of the chapter presents the results of an analysis of the poverty rates, poverty gaps and poverty composition of five conceivable measures of extreme poverty. These are: The World Bank $ per day concept; poverty thresholds based on national minimum income schemes – social assistance; a threshold set on the basis of a minimal reference budget standard; a severe deprivation standard; and an overlaps measure based on severe deprivation and low income. The latter is the preferred option.