Why Is It so Difficult to Define Poverty
Social Welfare Theory and Methodology
Why is so difficult to define poverty
In general, the term poverty refers to a social and economic condition which is undesirable for any individual or group in society. This essay will discuss different approaches used to define poverty. First is absolute poverty, this approach looks at the lack of income in order to satisfy the essential requirement for physiological survival. It then goes on to discuss the relative approach which is lack of income in order to reach the average standard of living in society in which one live. This essay also addresses the consensual approach this is based on the lack of socially perceived necessities, it also incorporate an income measure to the extent that it is used along with deprivation. It also look at social exclusion which describe the lack of access to basic service whether in the home or outside, the different ways through non-participation in common social activities, isolation, and discrimination.
Absolute poverty is define as not having the basic means to live adequately, it also measure a set poverty line. The problem and limitation of defining poverty by use of poverty are many. It has encouraged a tendency to define poverty at an extremely low level of income necessary to ensure physical survival. An absolute measure of poverty will remain the same regard of the social circumstance is an impossibility. Even the attempt to calculate absolute nutrition requirement for substance (for example: the poverty line which the USA is base on a dollar a day) fails once we appreciate that even necessary minimum levels of nutrition will vary with such changeable factor as life expectancy. Such measure are even less realistic when consider the need for clothing or shelter, for what we consider necessary minimum can never be fixed absolutely. Other concepts of absolute poverty go beyond the notion of substance and materials poverty by introducing the idea of ‘basic cultural
Why is so difficult to define poverty
In general, the term poverty refers to a social and economic condition which is undesirable for any individual or group in society. This essay will discuss different approaches used to define poverty. First is absolute poverty, this approach looks at the lack of income in order to satisfy the essential requirement for physiological survival. It then goes on to discuss the relative approach which is lack of income in order to reach the average standard of living in society in which one live. This essay also addresses the consensual approach this is based on the lack of socially perceived necessities, it also incorporate an income measure to the extent that it is used along with deprivation. It also look at social exclusion which describe the lack of access to basic service whether in the home or outside, the different ways through non-participation in common social activities, isolation, and discrimination.
Absolute poverty is define as not having the basic means to live adequately, it also measure a set poverty line. The problem and limitation of defining poverty by use of poverty are many. It has encouraged a tendency to define poverty at an extremely low level of income necessary to ensure physical survival. An absolute measure of poverty will remain the same regard of the social circumstance is an impossibility. Even the attempt to calculate absolute nutrition requirement for substance (for example: the poverty line which the USA is base on a dollar a day) fails once we appreciate that even necessary minimum levels of nutrition will vary with such changeable factor as life expectancy. Such measure are even less realistic when consider the need for clothing or shelter, for what we consider necessary minimum can never be fixed absolutely. Other concepts of absolute poverty go beyond the notion of substance and materials poverty by introducing the idea of ‘basic cultural
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