Two Poverty in different societies
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Paul Spicker
Abstract
I expect that many of the readers of this book will be people in developed countries – which is why, in the Preface, I used an example drawn from experience in Britain. This book, though, is about the idea of poverty, not poverty in any one country. The experience of poverty in the developed world can be very different to the developing countries where most of the world’s poor live. Disputes about the meaning of poverty often boil down to a simple argument: that ‘poverty’ does not seem to mean the same thing in industrialised countries as it does in developing ones. At a superficial level, this is obviously true. Poverty has many different forms, and it does not mean the same thing for people in a single country. It must be true, then, that it is not going to imply the same experience in different countries. If the statement means anything, it has to be saying something rather more weighty than this. People who hold that poverty is different in rich and poor countries are saying that different standards are being applied – that what passes for poverty in a rich country would not pass for poverty in a poor one.
There are two contexts in which this argument is commonly made. The first is among people in the richer countries who do not think that the problems of richer countries should be described in terms of ‘poverty’. The second is found in international organisations, who aim to target their work on the people in greater need, and do not think that the same claims can be made by people in richer countries.
Abstract
I expect that many of the readers of this book will be people in developed countries – which is why, in the Preface, I used an example drawn from experience in Britain. This book, though, is about the idea of poverty, not poverty in any one country. The experience of poverty in the developed world can be very different to the developing countries where most of the world’s poor live. Disputes about the meaning of poverty often boil down to a simple argument: that ‘poverty’ does not seem to mean the same thing in industrialised countries as it does in developing ones. At a superficial level, this is obviously true. Poverty has many different forms, and it does not mean the same thing for people in a single country. It must be true, then, that it is not going to imply the same experience in different countries. If the statement means anything, it has to be saying something rather more weighty than this. People who hold that poverty is different in rich and poor countries are saying that different standards are being applied – that what passes for poverty in a rich country would not pass for poverty in a poor one.
There are two contexts in which this argument is commonly made. The first is among people in the richer countries who do not think that the problems of richer countries should be described in terms of ‘poverty’. The second is found in international organisations, who aim to target their work on the people in greater need, and do not think that the same claims can be made by people in richer countries.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Preface iv
- Acknowledgements vii
- About the author viii
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Understanding poverty
- Defining poverty 3
- Poverty in different societies 11
- Understanding the figures 19
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Poverty as material need
- Concepts of need 29
- Area deprivation 37
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Poverty as economic position
- Economic resources 45
- Class 53
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Poverty and social relationships
- Social exclusion 65
- Dependency 73
- Poverty and politics 83
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Poverty as a moral concept
- The moral dimensions of poverty 93
- The moral condemnation of the poor 101
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Explanations for poverty
- Why people are poor 111
- Why poor countries stay poor 121
-
Responses to poverty
- Responding to poverty 135
- Policies for poverty 143
- Notes 153
- Index 173
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Preface iv
- Acknowledgements vii
- About the author viii
-
Understanding poverty
- Defining poverty 3
- Poverty in different societies 11
- Understanding the figures 19
-
Poverty as material need
- Concepts of need 29
- Area deprivation 37
-
Poverty as economic position
- Economic resources 45
- Class 53
-
Poverty and social relationships
- Social exclusion 65
- Dependency 73
- Poverty and politics 83
-
Poverty as a moral concept
- The moral dimensions of poverty 93
- The moral condemnation of the poor 101
-
Explanations for poverty
- Why people are poor 111
- Why poor countries stay poor 121
-
Responses to poverty
- Responding to poverty 135
- Policies for poverty 143
- Notes 153
- Index 173
