Poverty
www.makepovertyhistory.org/video
Poverty
• Poverty has existed for a very long time, and to
different extents remains worldwide even in this
21st century.
• In primitive societies it was often the case that
everybody was equally poor, but more modern
societies have generally tended to involve
poverty being confined to an often substantial
minority only - though this can sometimes harm
those concerned even more than universal
poverty.
Development
• Levels of poverty
– Absolute poverty
– Relative poverty
• Inequality
• Progress – what
constitutes progress?
Our definitions of progress may be highly subjective. What
has progress brought to native tribes people across the
globe?
Title: Navajos refuse casino riches. Copyright: Getty Images, available from
http://edina.ac.uk/eig
What is Poverty?
Romanian gypsies – is this man living in poverty?
Or is this villager in rural China?
Copyright: ghitulescu radu, http://www.sxc.hu
Copyright: Mark Forman, http://www.sxc.hu
Poverty is a ‘relative’ term
Poverty Line
• The International Poverty Line is an income
level established by the World Bank to
determine which people in the world are
poor.
• The line was set at $1 a day per person in
1985 international PPP prices.
• Although this poverty line is useful for
international comparisons, it is impossible
to create an indicator of poverty that is
strictly comparable across countries.
Absolute & Relative Poverty
• Absolute poverty involves people and
their children having extreme difficulty in
merely surviving.
• But in richer societies where the poor are
a minority, their relative poverty generally
involves the inability to obtain social
necessities available to the majority - and
is often intensified by social exclusion.
• Poverty does come in different forms and
extents, but it is always harmful to those
concerned and especially harmful to children.
• Poverty itself means misery to the poor and it
also makes them vulnerable to various forms of
exploitation.
• Poverty can also be very harmful to society as a
whole, insofar as it can maintain a divided
conflict society where the poorer conflict with the
richer.
People Living on Less than One
Dollar a day
National Standards People
Below Poverty Line
Distribution of Highest Risk Disaster
Hotspots by Hazard Type
Causes of Poverty
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Environmental
Economic
Health Care
Governance
Demographic
Social Factors
Environmental
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Erosion.
Desertification and overgrazing.
Deforestation
Climate change
Geographic factors related to:
– Natural resources
– Communication
– Climate
• The resource “curse” abundant natural resources
resulting in less long-term prosperity
• Drought and water crisis
Economics
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Unemployment
Capital flight
Communists: the institution of property rights
Unfair terms of trade
Health Care
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Poor access to affordable health care
Inadequate nutrition in childhood,
Disease, specifically diseases of poverty
Clinical depression
Substance abuse
Governance
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Lacking democracy in poor countries
The governance effectiveness of governments
Weak rule of law
Poor management of resource revenues
Failure by governments to provide essential
infrastructure
• Poor access to affordable education
• High levels of corruption
Demographics and Social Factors
• Overpopulation and lack of access to birth control
methods.
• Crime
• Historical factors, for example imperialism, colonialism
and communism
• Brain drain
• Cultural causes
• War, including civil war, genocide
• Discrimination
• Individual beliefs, actions and choices
Project 3, Activity A
Using poverty rate (CIA World Factbook) as a measure
of development, select five countries at a time to
compare how resources are allocated to three
economic sectors (agriculture, industrial,
service).
First formulate a hypothesis, then collect data.
After making comparisons, identify patterns in
which sector is emphasized by the wealthiest
countries and the poorest countries.
Write a one-page report on your findings.
BBC Documentaries
A Dollar A Day
Choose one documentary, listen to it and produce detailed notes on
housing, family size, agriculture and production, employment,
education, health care and disease prevention
Part One
• Poverty was a key issue in the recent elections in Kenya and the
unrest that followed.
Part Two
• In Peru, women get one dollar a day for vaccinating and sending
their children to school.
Part Three
• In India, more people are surviving into their old age, and many live
in deep poverty.
Part Four
• In Ghana, families struggle to find the money to fund their children's
education.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2007/12/071227_dollar_a_day_1.shtml