poverty

Examples of poverty in the following topics:

• Measuring Poverty

  • Someone living in economic poverty may be homeless; someone living in social poverty may be illiterate.
  • The European Union's poverty threshold is based on relative poverty -- it measures how far below median income a person is, rather than whether or not they can meet their daily needs.
  • Poverty is usually measured as either absolute or relative poverty.
  • The World Bank uses this definition of poverty to label extreme poverty as living on less than US $1.25 per day, and moderate poverty as less than $2 or $5 a day.
  • Relative poverty explains poverty as socially defined and dependent on social context.

• The Dynamics of Poverty

  • Poverty operates in a dynamic cycle, with the effects of poverty increasing the likelihood that it will be transferred between generations.
  • This perpetuation of deprivation is the cycle of poverty.
  • The basic premise of the poverty cycle the idea that poverty is a dynamic process—its effects may also be its causes.
  • Without these resources, poverty-stricken individuals experience disadvantages that, in turn, increase their poverty.
  • Finally, poverty increases the risk of homelessness.

• Poverty

  • Poverty is the condition of not having access to material resources, income, or wealth.
  • The United States officially defines poverty using the poverty line.
  • "Near poverty" is the term for an income level that is just above the poverty line; it refers to incomes that are no more than 25% above the poverty line.
  • While some factors that contribute to poverty are the result of individual choices, such as dropping out of school or committing a crime, other factors affect poverty that are beyond individual control.
  • In the United States, minorities and women are more likely to be living in poverty.

• Assessing the Great Society

  • The War on Poverty coincided with a reduction in poverty rates.
  • The poverty rate declined further after the implementation of the War on Poverty, hitting a low point of 11.1% in 1973.
  • Even noting the decline in poverty rates, there is still disagreement about the effects of the War on Poverty and the Great Society.
  • Number of People in Poverty and Poverty Rate in the United States, 1959-2009
  • Observers debate the impact of the Great Society and War on Poverty on poverty rates and the economy.

• Defining and Measuring Poverty

  • Absolute poverty is poverty to the extent of which an individual is deprived of the ability to fulfill basic human needs (i.e. water, shelter, food, education, etc.).
  • In observing poverty over time, the rates of poverty alongside the advances in economic production, demonstrates the value in technological and economic progress.
  • Poverty is generally divided into absolute or relative poverty, with absolute concepts referring to a standard that is consistent over time and geographic location.
  • Income distribution measures lend insight into relative poverty levels.
  • One interesting perspective is the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

• The Feminization of Poverty

  • The feminization of poverty refers to the fact that women represent a disproportionate share of the world's poor.
  • Recent attempts to reduce global poverty have utilized systems of microcredit, which give small loans to poor households in an attempt to break the cycle of poverty.
  • Many factors place women at higher risk of poverty than their male counterparts.
  • Women in poverty also have reduced access to healthcare services and resources.
  • Increasing health services to women could, therefore, mitigate the feminization of poverty.

• Poverty

  • Poverty is the condition of not having access to material resources, income, or wealth.
  • Near poverty is when one earns up to 25% above the poverty line; put otherwise, a person near poverty has an income below 125% of the current poverty line.
  • Absolute poverty is the level of poverty where individuals and families cannot meet food, shelter, warmth, and safety needs, while relative poverty refers to economic disadvantage compared to wealthier members of society.
  • Countries with low HDI tend to be caught in a national cycle of poverty -- they have little wealth to invest, but the lack of investment perpetuates their poverty.
  • This is a commonly used measure of poverty to allow international comparisons.

• "The War on Poverty"

  • The most ambitious and controversial part of the Great Society was its initiative to end poverty.
  • The Kennedy Administration had been contemplating a federal effort against poverty.
  • The centerpiece of the War on Poverty was the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, which created an Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) to oversee a variety of community-based anti-poverty programs.
  • The impact of the War on Poverty is debated.
  • The popularity of the War on Poverty waned after the 1960s.

• Poverty and Inequality

  • Their faith is clouded, however, by the fact that poverty persists in many parts of the country.
  • Government anti-poverty efforts have made some progress but have not eradicated the problem.
  • In 1998, a family of four with an annual income below $16,530 was classified as living in poverty.
  • What is more, the overall figures mask much more severe pockets of poverty.
  • Families headed by single mothers are particularly susceptible to poverty.

• Measurement Problems

  • Inequality, poverty and economic mobility in particular have a number of measurement challenges.
  • The primary drawback to this approach is that it measures relative poverty (as opposed to absolute poverty).
  • However, due to the fact that poverty lines are different in different countries (because there is no standard way in which to enforce setting and measuring the poverty line) it is not relative.
  • One interesting risk in measuring poverty is the concept of voluntary poverty, or the active pursuit of living at the absolute bare minimum.
  • This graph illustrates the different percentiles of individuals under the poverty line across the world.