Four Concepts of need
-
Paul Spicker
Abstract
Understood in terms of material need, poverty covers many issues. Chapter One outlined three main clusters of meaning: poverty as deprivation, poverty as a pattern of deprivation and poverty as a low standard of living. This is only one way of breaking down the issues, and there are many possible sub-divisions. The ideas of ‘absolute’ and ‘relative’ poverty discussed in Chapter Two can both be seen as ways of discussing material need, and concepts like ‘basic needs’ or ‘relative deprivation’ involve an elaborate framework of ideas underpinning a basic understanding of poverty as the lack of something.
‘Needs’ have two elements. In the first instance, needs are problems. Needs occur in circumstances where a person is likely to experience something bad, or suffer harm. We sometimes talk loosely about conditions like illness, disability and old age as ‘needs’ on that basis; the ‘assessment of needs’ undertaken when governments compare poor areas is little more than a comparison of problems. Second, a need requires a response. It is not enough to say that harm is going to happen; there has to be some way of reducing the harm, or preventing it. Malnutrition is a need for food; homelessness is a need for shelter; illness is commonly taken to require medical intervention. At times, the response is taken to be so obvious that responses to problems are described as ‘needs’ in themselves. It is not unusual to hear the claim that ‘this area needs more nurses’ or that ‘these people need counselling’.
Abstract
Understood in terms of material need, poverty covers many issues. Chapter One outlined three main clusters of meaning: poverty as deprivation, poverty as a pattern of deprivation and poverty as a low standard of living. This is only one way of breaking down the issues, and there are many possible sub-divisions. The ideas of ‘absolute’ and ‘relative’ poverty discussed in Chapter Two can both be seen as ways of discussing material need, and concepts like ‘basic needs’ or ‘relative deprivation’ involve an elaborate framework of ideas underpinning a basic understanding of poverty as the lack of something.
‘Needs’ have two elements. In the first instance, needs are problems. Needs occur in circumstances where a person is likely to experience something bad, or suffer harm. We sometimes talk loosely about conditions like illness, disability and old age as ‘needs’ on that basis; the ‘assessment of needs’ undertaken when governments compare poor areas is little more than a comparison of problems. Second, a need requires a response. It is not enough to say that harm is going to happen; there has to be some way of reducing the harm, or preventing it. Malnutrition is a need for food; homelessness is a need for shelter; illness is commonly taken to require medical intervention. At times, the response is taken to be so obvious that responses to problems are described as ‘needs’ in themselves. It is not unusual to hear the claim that ‘this area needs more nurses’ or that ‘these people need counselling’.
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
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
