Defining Poverty Essay

Defining Poverty Essay
When it comes to poverty, there is the magnitude of definitions explaining the term. The definition of poverty has important implications from point of
view of policy making, politics and academic debates. Each view has its own value judgments and explanations. Over the times, new definitions have
surfaced the debates and yet, there is not a single universally acceptable definition of poverty. Definitions usually set the perimeters of the terminology
and often subject to limitations and criticism. According to the definition of the World Bank, the term lack refers to the scarcity of economic resources
while the term inability refers to the failure of competence to take part in a community (Bellu & Liberati, 2005). It is now widely...show more content...
When refer to define poverty, the difference between the traditional unidimensional approach and contemporary multidimensional approach for the
measurement of poverty should be considered. While only one variable is submitted in terms of the traditional approach, for example, consumption or
income, multidimensional approach, for example, Sen's capability theory, expands the amount of dimensions alongside which poverty is determined.
The multifaceted reality of poverty, conversely, makes it tricky to confine the essence of this experience by means of a single uni– or multidimensional
approaches for measurement (Fusco, 2003).
Amartya Sen presented a path breaking argument for the measurement of poverty. Capability school of thought presented a multi dimensional approach
for the measurement of poverty. According to his capability theory, it is not having the capability that causes and brings about poverty. For instance, he
suggests that urban poor are deprived because they do not have the capacity to produce adequate incomes to consumer adequate food and nutrition and
to make informed decisions and act in such a way that would ameliorate their living standards. Therefore, following Sen's capability theory, the
important elements in describing the urban poverty entail, one's health, gender, ethnic status, nutritional and educational (Sen, 1992).
Sen has taken a unique approach to shift the attention of all economists and those involved in
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The History and Future of Poverty Essay
To understand our current sins of earth–savaging, overconsuming, and overpopulating, we have to look at facts that are, like the sun, too painful for
our direct gaze. Instinctively we look away. Poverty
"The poverty of the poor is their ruin," says the Book of Proverbs. And the ruin is not just material. Poverty rapes and kills the spirit of the poor. We
underestimate its complexity and cruelty. There are four dimensions of poverty:
(1) Material limit. Poverty does mean a lack of material necessities. For the one billion people in
"absolute poverty," the most basic essentials are critically lacking and death is fastening its grip on them. Note, too, that fewer than 3 billion people
could eat as we eat, i.e. on a North...show more content...
Infants reach for hope starting with their birth and the infants of the poor already show with their eyes that there is no hope for them. Hunger and pain
have already told them that their humanity does not count. The stripping of respect and hope from the poor is well systematized. Capitalism from its
start had poverty in its train. Serfs in the feudal, pre–capitalist system did often have a kind of paternalistic social security. They were part of a unit that
shared the essentials out of a kind of practical necessity. With the dawn of modern capitalism, the serfs were cast out to look for work and security.
Capitalism had two choices from the beginning, either to correct its deficiencies and care for those who were cast out by the blind mechanisms of the
market or to embark on the systematic vilification of the poor, implying that their plight was their own doing and not an indictment of the system.
Capitalism embraced the second alternative with passion.
The Statute of Laborers in 1349 in England made it a crime to give alms to the poor. In modern terms this meant cutting off welfare from these "lazy
drones" who opted freely for idleness. This same spirit emerged in The Poor Law Reform Bill in England in 1834, which said explicitly that the main
cause of poverty was the indiscriminate giving of aid which destroyed the desire to work.
Again, there was nothing wrong with the system, only with those left out by the system. Of this
1834 bill Prime

Is It Possible to End World Poverty? Essay
Introduction–
Today we're facing a big problem, it's not a new one but an on–going one and it has been going on for decades. What is poverty? Poverty is the state of
not being able to afford basic needs, in other words, it is the condition of being extremely poor. It is an issue which has troubled the nation for
thousands of years. To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Around 21,000 people die
every day because of extreme hunger. If they don't have money, they won't be able to afford food, water and shelter. Therefore, they're constantly
malnourished, and get sick easily. This causes them to have less energy to work which causes them to become even poorer and hungrier. Usually, the
...show more content...
Not only are they vulnerable to illness and diseases but they have a higher possibility of dying before they turn 1.
Statistics–
Poverty line also known as the poverty threshold is the minimum level of income needed to secure life necessities. The common international
poverty line is roughly about $1 per day. According to a research from 23rd July 2012, the total percentage of world population that lives on less
than $2.50 a day is around 50% which is around 3 billion people. The total number of people in developing countries with inadequate access to
water was about 1.1 billion people. The ratio of people at poverty to wealthy level constantly changing. In 1820, the ratio was 3:1. In 1913, the ratio
rose to 11:1 and in 1992, the ratio of people at poverty to wealthy level increased to 72:1. This proves that more and more people are getting poorer
every year.
Global perspectives–
Some countries are more fortunate than others because they have more resources and they earn more money from that. Rich countries with a lot of
resources are Qatar, Brunei and others.
President Barack Obama of the United States tried a few solutions to help improve poverty.
He started an Act that provides $2 billion new neighborhood stabilization funds which maintains the ailing neighborhoods and $1.5 billion in
Homelessness Prevention funds which can keep people in their homes.
The Act that increases job training funds for those that need it most with $4 billion in additional funding for

Poverty Essay
Tiara Bradshaw
Mrs. Prince
ENG 0123
17 November 2017
Poverty is something that many have suffered or still suffer from today. Poverty has changed a lot of lives for many years now. Many countries like the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Zimbabwe, and Niger are some of the poorest countries. This affects their education, society, environment,
health, children, and even the crime rates. Poverty has become one of the greatest challenges in today's society and is a major issue that is slowly
trying to be solved over time. Education is something that is majorly affected by poverty. Schools that do not have a lot of money do not have the
same amount of access to many resources as a school with a lot of money does. Not being...show more content...
Improper nutrition leads to poor health. A statement from the article "How Does Poverty Affect Education and Health?" says, "When children do not
eat regular, well–balanced meals, their bodies are more susceptible to a variety of illnesses, like untreated ear infections and asthma." Poverty causes
stress which can lead to a higher risk of health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, and stroke. the lack of physical activity in
students who live in poverty affects their concentration. Some families of students who live in poorer neighborhoods do not believe it is safe for their
young children to play outside. Even if there is a playground or park nearby, the violence that is associated with these neighborhoods keeps families
indoors. This means students' only get physical activity during the school's physical education program or during a short recess.
Emotions do also relate to poverty and education. Students who live in poverty–stricken families encounter many situations that can seriously affect
them socially and emotionally. Studies show that many of these students live in single–parent households. When only one adult provides for a child's
needs, that parent suffers a great deal of stress; they struggle financially, and they often are lacking rest. Eric Jensen, writing for ASCD, says, "If
caregivers are stressed about health care, housing, and food, they're more likely to be

Poverty Essay
In today's world, poverty is happening throughout many societies. Poverty is defined as a person who is living of off of paychecks to pay checks; or
not having enough money to meet basic needs such as, food, shelter, and clothing. Poverty has been a social issue that has been around for many years
in the United States, and as the years continue to pass by poverty tends to get worse. Despite being one of the most popular countries in the world, the
United States has families and communities who are struggling to survive with low income that puts them in the either below poverty who are known
as low class, or right on top of poverty which are known as the middles class. This social problems has caused impact on the United States, However
Public assistance has been around for many years, dating back to the 1930s. Food Stamps (SNAP), Welfare or Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF),Supplemental Income (SSI), and Housing assistance are just a few programs that the government provides for needy families.
The process of getting into one of these programs are difficult, sometimes people do not want to go through the process because, they feel like it's
just a waste of time and is too much for them to handle. Having help from the government was always a sign of "failure or weakness" to people,
still to this day many people are ashamed of being in one these programs that actually are there to help, not to embrasses an individuals. People
constantly joking about how food stamps, and SSI checks, but do not know the benefits of it and how it can help a person get back on their feets,
and be better than before. Judgements and criticisms about government help are getting so bad in today's society that people who are in these
programs are ashamed to tell their personal business to family or friends, or even go into public to get items that are needed to survive, mainly food
because of the criticism that they will receive. For years, people stereotype African American for being the race that had a higher percentage of needing
the government help, but did not know that, whites as well has a high percentage of those who also receives help from the government.

Poverty And Poverty : Poverty
Poverty for centuries has been a very severe issue that has troubled many nations while impeding economic developments and progress. Poverty
stricken countries are majorly concentrated in the continents of Africa and Asia. Continents like the Americas and Europe have globally been
recognized as been wealthier yet still many parts of these ostensible countries face massive cases of poverty. Most at times, countries with high
populations owing to high birth rates face the most cases of poverty. The definition of poverty can be boundless in the sense that poverty entails so
many subsections as it sometimes gets complicated to group everything under one umbrella. Society tends to focus more on the tangible aspects of
poverty because many people associate poverty with lacking money and it makes sense because poverty in terms of lacking money is a major
problem affecting almost every country in the world. Even though it is debatable that poverty can be physical, intellectual, spiritual and even
emotional, it is best to talk about the lack of money and economic developments in this essay. With reference to the oxford English Dictionary, poverty
is state of being extremely poor and the state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount. Reflecting on this definition given, I deduced that
malnutrition and hunger can define poverty. In the light of this, I think poverty is lacking a comfortable place of shelter, being ill and not having
access to a better

The Problem Of Child Poverty Essay
Child poverty is an issue that has the public divided. On one side there are people empathising with their plight and raising awareness on the issue,
and on the other hand there are people saying why the money always should go to the poor as it is costing New Zealand millions of dollars each
year. It has been portrayed by media as something to be combated and eradicated. Conversations on poverty bring up the topics such as how it effects
on a child 's well–being, education and how to tackle it. This paper seeks to discuss the following questions; definitions of poverty; how poverty
measured; the challenges or tension regarding poverty. The objective of my presentation is to critically examine poverty and how education is
hindered, how it affects the four tenets of Hauora and what policies the government has put in place to address this issue.
Bradshaw (2015) uses term child poverty to refer to the children who lack material resources to attain a good life. There are two forms of poverty.
One is 'absolute poverty, where there is a definite shortage of available resources for everyone in that society. The other is 'relative poverty' and is a
form material disadvantage or deprivation. Relative poverty is when people fall below the minimum amount of income needed to sustain an average
standard of living in their society. Too many children inNew Zealand are living in inequity. Some of these include orphans being raised by the state or
from poor families. The Children's

Poverty As A Social Issue Essay
Imagine having to work seven days a week, putting in more than forty hours, only to come back to an unstable living situation and still have barely
enough to get by. For many people, they remain in this cycle of poverty for the rest of their lives. There is no light at the end of their tunnel, but instead
more obstacles that they must overcome. Poverty, like other social divisions, is something that continues to plague society, and while it is most likely
impossible to completely eradicate it, certain actions on the part of people who are not in poverty can be done in order to elevate those who within
that state of poverty, and therefore improve the overall happiness. Poverty, as a social issue, needs to be embraced and accepted in order for its
debilitating effects to be minimized, therefore improving the quality of life for all people.
In Ascher's piece, the author doesn't necessarily highlight the experience of poverty, but more so how people who are not in those kinds of
conditions respond to it, as evidenced by the two particular encounters that the author illustrates. There are two responses in dealing with those who
are impoverished. One revolves the idea of isolation, in that people do whatever it takes in order to remove themselves from the presence of these
individuals, and attempt to push these people out of society. The other response revolves around acceptance, in which case these people who are not
well off are recognized, and treated well out of compassion

Essay on What is Poverty?
What do you consider poverty to be? Do you have a definitive explanation of it or do you consider it an abstract circumstance? In the article "What is
Poverty?", Jo Goodwin Parker gives her ideas on what poverty is.
First given as a speech, this article is written as an attack on human emotion.
Her use of connotative language creates many harsh images of her experiences in a life of poverty. By using these images, Parker is capable of causing
the reader to feel many emotions and forces the reader to question his or her own stereotypes of the poor. With the use of connotative language and the
ability to arouse emotion, Parker successfully compels the reader to examine his or her thoughts and beliefs on who the poor are....show more content...
She is very successful in accomplishing this and this success causes her argument to become very powerful.
Not only does she make us feel guilty for having possessions that she cannot, but Parker also makes us feel guilty about the stereotypes we hold. She
knows what society's stereotypes are and she successfully combats them. Parker knows that society thinks the poor don't want to work. To attack
this she tells of why she can't work. She has three children. The last time she had a job the babysitter she left them with did not take care of them.
She returned to find all three in dangerous situations. Her baby had not been changed since she had left it there, her other was playing with a piece
of sharp glass, and her oldest was playing alone at the edge of a lake (Parker 236–237). Her chances of finding a better babysitter are slim because she
cannot afford a nursery school due to fact that she makes too little (Parker 237). This is why she cannot work.
Her inability to work leads to many of the other stereotypes that society has of the poor. Society questions why the poor cannot be clean. She tells of
how without money she cannot afford any cleaning supplies (Parker 237). Parker tells of how she saved for two months to buy a jar of Vaseline and
when she had finally saved enough the price had gone up two cents (237). She cannot wash in soap because it has to be saved to clean the baby's
diapers (Parker 237).

Poverty Is A Problem Of Poverty Essay
Introduction:
Despite the fact that the world has developed so much on both economy and technology, there still maintain a lot of serious global issues such as,
financial crisis, global warming, nuclear weapon, racism... For many decades, poverty has been exists to be one of the biggest problem of mankind. It
profoundly influences every aspect of a person's life, limits their chance accessing to the minimum needs such as, food, drink, and shelter. According to
Investopedia, poverty is defined as "a lack of something or when the quality of something is extremely low". ("Poverty Definition," n.d.) Vietnam, a
South East Asia country which has recently integrated the world economic also has to deal with this problem This report will analysis the various
kinds of poverty, the cause of poverty in Vietnam and finally how the Vietnamese government helps repel poverty inside the society.
Discussion
1. Various kinds of poverty
The first kind of poverty is the genre that almost everyone will associate when they think about the concept of poverty. According to this type of
poverty, the poor will be identified by using the international poverty line which is based on the US1.25– daily consumption. ("Poverty," 2012) This
line is set by the World Bank and can be used internationally by many global organizations to make comparison between nations. Based on this line,
Vietnam has about 2.4% of population living under this poverty line. ("Poverty," 2012) Ethnic minority poverty rate remain high

Poverty is a Human Rights Issue Essay
The question of whether poverty is a human rights issue is a controversial one. On the one hand, in development economics theory, poverty is defined
as deprivation or a lack of income and has to be solved through economic growth. On the other hand, from the perspective of international human rights
laws, poverty is first and foremost as a denial of fundamental rights and as such it's a human rights crisis. However, in the final analysis and based on
both my experience as a citizen of one the poorest countries in the world (the DR Congo) and development economics background, I believe that
poverty is first a human rights phenomenon, not an economic one. To support my stance, I will first clarify the basic concepts of this essay, notably
Human rights, on the other hand, are the rights or claims that someone has because he or she is a human being. As such, human rights give some kind
of special entitlement to rights' holders which, in return, give rise to claims if they cannot be enjoyed or they happen to be denied. Moreover, not only
human rights give special entitlements to rights' holders, but they also protect the rights' holders from the abuse of political power. The abuse of
political power is generally committed by States who are both duty bearers and services providers and must be held accountable when they fail to fulfill
their duties of respecting, protecting and promoting human rights. Non–state actors as well can fail to respect, protect and promote human rights under
the territory they control and must be held to account.
Based on this conceptual background, and in accordance with Irene Khan's analysis on poverty and human rights , poverty is characterized by four
main features, notably: deprivation, insecurity, voiceless and powerlessness. Based on these features and as Irene Khan argues, "poverty is not
primarily about economics and income levels. It is about the powerlessness experienced in so many ways by those living in poverty. Human rights are
claims that the weak advance to hold the powerful to account, and that is why poverty is first and foremost about rights" (p.21). The human rights
approach to poverty can be exemplified in several ways. For instance,

Reducing Poverty Essay
Reducing Poverty
Poverty is the United States is a major issue and continues to worsen as housing is becoming less affordable for many people across the nation. People
that do find housing are often restricted to low–income areas that have few opportunities. In the low income areas there are few jobs and the quality of
schools are poor and keep the people in the cycle. To offset this cycle money needs to be put into theeducation system in these lower income areas to
offset this cycle. Education allows for people to have more opportunities and would increase the incentive to live in low–income areas. With a quality
education that is equal to the suburbs it would give the children much more opportunities to improve themselves and exit the cycle. This cycle is living
in low–income areas gives children a poor education due to the schools lacking money and resources; without the needed education the student is not
able to get a good job. Without the well paying job that person is not able to afford housing and has to living in affordable housing that is located in
the low–income areas. By breaking this cycle with increased education it is possible for people to get out the cycle that ties them to that area. Education
is the foundation to success and it very important that is equal and everyone receives similar opportunities through that education.
Affordable housing is where it all begins, it is important to have affordable housing in nicer neighborhoods, like McKinney in

Global Poverty Essay
Poverty is defined as "the state of being poor; lack of the means of providing material needs or comforts.(" More children live in poverty in the United
States than in any other developed country (p. 192, Parrillo). Generally, poverty is blamed either on the individual or the system. Several dimensions
such as intelligence, poverty culture, family life and the system of capitalism give explanation as to why poverty exists in the U.S. Intelligence has
been labeled as one of the factors of poverty in the U.S. because of research done by sociologist, Richard Herrnstein, who "argued that the poor have a
lower intellectual capability than the non–poor, and that they marry other people of low intelligence, thus producing children of low...show more
content...
Finally, the system of capitalism is one of the few dimensions that places the blame on society for the existence of poverty. "Socialist, Michael
Harrington argued the inadequate programs and misdirected priorities hampered efforts to solve this far from intractable problem (p. 217, Parrillo)."
Because the poor have no positive influence in society and lack political support, they have no means of power to break the ongoing cycle of poverty.
The United States tried to rectify the poverty problem in several ways. Through social programs such as welfare and social security, the poor are
given a minimal amount of money in order to aid their existence. The "Trickle Down" approach was installed by the Reagan–Bush Republican
administrators with the belief that in giving the upper–class a tax cut, the rich would have more money to pump into the economy which would
eventually reach the lower classes. The Interventionist Approach was an action taken on behalf of the federal government, which sought to educate and
employ the poor in order to help them attain a job career. Unfortunately, these social programs have not been able to keep up with the inflation rates and
the constant want of material goods by the poor created by the need to fit in with the middle and upper classes. In reaction to the deregulation of the
international market, many other countries are simulating the American capitalistic system. By "reducing social benefits towards the poor and
unemployed and

Descriptive Essay On Poverty
People are dying every minute because of this terrible disease. No antidotes have been found to eliminate it. Poverty is like an epidemic with no
antidote affecting the entire world. It has already killed billions of people, and will continue killing unless we do something to stop it. Have you ever
thought what living in poverty is like? Seeing a shocking picture in which people were trying to survive gave me a whole different perspective. That
image showed me one of the poorest areas of the planet where people were living under despicable conditions. They were working in sweatshops,
collecting garbage and living in broken down huts in order to survive. A polluted river passes across from their humble homes, causing
incomparable complication to their lives. I could observe the terrible conditions in which this people are working, fishing and collecting garbage.
Not only pollution is shown in this photo, above of the photograph a bridge could be observed. I imagine the noise, and the dust that this little detail
brings to their lives. That photograph made me feel angry at politicians because they could do a better job helping the needy. Since they were almost
dying, I felt sad for the circumstances they live in. A sense of admiration for the way they are able to survive, gave me the strength to fight against
this global scourge. The author of this picture is trying to convey a message, showing us poverty in all its faces and inviting us to be part of his fight
against

Possible Solutions to Poverty Essay
Solving Poverty There are two main explanations to poverty, the cultural and structural. Sociologists mostly use the structural causes to explain the
poverty in America. The cultural issue puts more fault and cause on the individual and the "culture" they create–making it seems like a repetitive cycle.
Nonetheless, poverty is a very complex issue, even though culture and the individual do play a part, there is much more to it and thus the structural
causes explanation comes in. With even the causations and explanation being so complex the solution must also be multi–faceted and flexible–being
able to conform in many different situations and settings. Looking at history and seeing how others have faced the issue of poverty in their...show more
content...
For example, at one point of time the northern states in the U.S. where known for their textile mills. However, when labor fees (payments, insurance,
etc.) became too expensive for the companies they started to outsource, now most textiles are imported or produced in other countries. Even though,
like in Massachusetts, some of these former mills were turned into high–tech industries in the 1980's–creating the Massachusetts miracle–they didn't
support nearly the same amount of employees. Also these employees were most educated technicians and programmers, so it was not open to
blue–collar workers. Poverty is a very complex social issue and there can't only be one explanation. The structural causes explanation puts more faults
on institutions–governments and companies. The cultural explanation puts too much fault in the individual. Whereas society is an amalgamation of
both, of course culture affects a poor person in a different form then an upper middle class or rich person. The example being a person raised on the
streets learns different skills then someone in a upper–middle class suburb thus effecting their future careers–communication skills, work ethics, etc.
Nevertheless this doesn't nearly explain the reason this poverty culture was made, this where the structural causes comes in. Islam also views the
causations and explanations of poverty in a multipart manner and rather

Education and Poverty Essay
Exploring Poverty and Education
Education and poverty is a difficult subject to explore. Many views are held when it comes to the value of education for the underprivileged and
whether or not it is the key to removing an individual from an impoverished condition. "The Social Animal", a book by David Brooks, explores this
subject of poverty and education through the life of one of his characters named Erica. Erica comes from an ethnic background, from a broken home,
born from parents who did not receive higher educations, and can be considered an underprivileged child. Brooks focuses on the changes Erica goes
through in her life from elementary school, all the way to adulthood, and highlights the fact that she was able to attend a...show more content...
Erica, from a young age, could see she did not want to continue her life in poverty. She longed for the stability in life that she knew could be found by
obtaining a college degree. Erica had a deep internal feeling, and unconscious feeling, that her surrounding environment would be a detriment to her
life. Internally, as well as consciously, Erica longed for an environment that was positive, nurturing, organized, and socially motivating. Brooks brings
this out in text by explain her thought process on this matter, "she could make one decision, to change her environment. And if she could change her
environment, she would be subject to a whole different set of cues and unconscious cultural influence. It's easier to change you environment than to
change your insides." Brooks quote about Erica is saying once negative unconscious norms are established, it can be very difficult to change a
conscious minds attitude about the world. It is easier to change your conscious way of thinking by surrounding an individual with a positive
environment that can nurture and change the unconscious mind through positive reinforcement models. Consciously Erica knew her only hope for a
successful future was to remove herself from the poverty cycle, and immerse herself into a school that would help her get into college. This school
was called "The Academy". In today's world, the Academy could be considered a charter school, or a prep school that was specifically

Wealth and Poverty in the World Essay examples
Wealth and Poverty in the World
In the world today there is a lot of poverty. There is a great divide between the world's rich and poor people. In the world today there are also rich
people but the number of poor peoples out number them. There are many reasons as to why there is poverty in the world. Being a poor person can
mean that you do not have enough food to eat for months, or even years and not just for a few hours or few days. Poverty can also mean not having
enough money to be able to pay for lives necessities such as clothes, food, a place to live or even medicine that you may need when you ill. However
it can also mean having just enough money to survive but not any extra money to...show more content...
There are many important leaders and teachings in Hinduism, but Hindus don't follow the teachings of any one person. Hindus worship God or
Brahman through gods and goddesses. Hinduism has many beliefs but most Hindus say that the great power can be seen most easily through the gods
and goddesses. Hinduism also has a lot of thoughts on wealth and poverty.
Hindus believe that wealth is a good thing as long as it has been gained by lawful means. Hindus believe that there are four basic aims in life and
that pursuing wealth is one of them. Hindus believe that the four basic aims in life are dharma (religious and social duty), artha (gaining wealth),
kama (enjoying the good life) and moksha (freedom or liberation). As you can see wealth is one of the four basic aims of a Hindu's life. Artha
encourages people to earn money honestly and lawfully. Gaining money in a dishonest way taints the money and the person earning it. It is also
believed in Hinduism that it can earn you bad karma if you earn money in a dishonest way, which will affect your next rebirth.
Hindus believe that the pursuit of wealth shouldn't be something that dominates any ones life. It is however lawful because during the householder
stage many people, including children, the partner and older members of the family are very dependent on one person's ability to earn. The only
restriction in the holy books is

Poverty in Australia Essay
Poverty in Australia Before discussing the extent of poverty in Australia, it is first crucial to mention the difference between absolute poverty and
relative poverty. Absolute Poverty is a situation where deprivation is extreme because people do not have access to the basic necessities such as food,
clothing, and shelter. In contrast Relative Poverty is a situation in which the incidence of poverty is measured relative to things such as average weekly
earnings or income per head. Therefore poverty, as talked about in Australia is the state where income is insufficient to meet the minimum needs of the
household or individual.
The Poverty Line is the level of income below which the income of the household or individual is...show more content...
Whilst these percentages had changed significantly it was also found that the types of people who were living under the poverty line were still the
same. In this report it was found that 75 percent of those living below the poverty line were not in the workforce, and that the aged made up 41 per cent
of all Australians that were living in poverty. (Williams, Lawrey 2000) Therefore it is clear that although the poverty line had risen significantly from
1975 to 1987, there has not been an improvement in the percentage of Australians living under the poverty line, but instead this percentage has
increased.
Between 1975 and 1996, per person, GDP grew by almost 90%, taxes more than doubled, government transfers went up more than 160%, and average
household income net of taxes grew by almost 50%. Income grew significantly. The proportion of national income directed via government grew far
more significantly. Although there has been some problems with the economy during this period such as unemployment which has grown from 4 per
cent to 8.5 percent, also the average duration of unemployment grew from 6 weeks to 52 weeks.
Unemployment is seen as one of the possible reasons for the increase in poverty rates, despite the increase in welfare payments. Whilst it is likely that
this startling increase in unemployment levels is partly responsible for the increase in poverty, it still

Poverty in Africa Essay example
African nations regularly fall to the bottom of any list measuring economic activity, such as per capita income or per capita GDP, despite a wealth of
natural resources. The bottom 25 spots of the United Nations (UN) quality of life index are regularly filled by African nations. In 2006, 34 of the 50
nations on the UN list of least developed countries are in Africa. In many nations, the per capita income is often less than $200 U.S. per year, with the
vast majority of the population living on much less. In addition, Africa's share of income has been consistently dropping over the past century by any
measure. In 1820, the average European worker earned about three times what the average African did. Now, the average European earns twenty...show
more content...
On each of these occasions, my only thoughts have been that God did not destine poverty, wars and suffering for Africans, else Africa would not have
been richly blessed with abundant natural and human resources.
As much as there are very genuine disadvantages hampering our progress economically like:
?Overpopulation, this is so with any society that largely depends on agriculture, African families are often very large. Most of the elderly rely on their
children for support, and as much agriculture in Africa is labor–intensive, large numbers of children provide much needed labor for plowing, planting
and harvesting. However, overpopulation is a serious problem in urban areas, which have grown enormously since the beginnings of African
independence in the in the late 1950s and later. For example, in 1960, 14.5% of Nigeria's population lived in urban areas, that number had grown to
43% by 2000, and is growing at an estimated 5.5% per year, compared to a 2.9% national population growth rate. This is a trend that can be seen
throughout the continent.
?Misused Money, Over $500 billion (U.S.) has been sent to African nations in the form of direct aid. The consensus is that the money has had little
long term effect. In addition, most African nations have borrowed substantial sums of money. However, a large percentage of the money was either
been invested in weapons (money that was spent back in developed nations and

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