Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Lecture 2: Urban Poverty (Measures: White, 2014 (Poverty Line, most common…
Lecture 2: Urban Poverty
INTRO* Because urban poverty is growing as fast as cities are growing, there needs to be a greater understanding on the complexities and depth of poverty in the urban. We thus look at definitions of poverty, its various interpretations, characteristics, ways to measure it etc.
-
-
-
Absolute Poverty - Severe deprivation of basic human needs such as food, safe drinking water, shelter etc. Not only income reliant but on access to services.
-
Relative Poverty - Lacking the minimum amount of income needed to maintain average standard of living in the society they live in. Considered the easiest way to measure level of poverty in individual country.
"Measured against societal standards; in developing countries the basket of 'essentials' comprises food and a few items of clothing, whereas in developed countries it includes Christmas presents and going out once a month" - White (2014: 61)
"The distinction between the temporarily and permanently poor is linked to the notion of vulnerability. The vulnerable are those at risk of falling into poverty" (White, 2014: 61)
Measuring Poverty
- Poverty often synonymous with shortage of income, but stresses multidimensionality of poverty
- Phyiscal and material consumption to general wellbeing all matter. Deprivation of any one can be regarded as poverty.
- Whilst some argue against multidimensionality stating income is most important as the state is only able to improve fiscal matters.
- Jodha, 1988 disagrees, using Indian data that welfare of poor was increased through amenities such as wearing shoes despite income falling
- Ministry of Happiness in Bhutan is another example of state intervention towards social cohesion opposed to just income security.
Measures: White, 2014
- No account for distribution of wealth e.g. trickle down economics.
- Income measure, ignore other dimensions beyond economic livelihoods.
- Quantitative ~ lacking humanist/intersectional approach towards complexities.
- Consumption patterns vary dependent on region e.g. transport prices where you live and work (urban sprawl)
- Data collection often at household level failing to address power and inequity e.g. gender.
- Poverty Line, most common
- Minimum level of income deemed inadequate in a particular country, higher in developed counties
- Current line at $1.90 a day of country's Purchasing Power Parity
- Can be problematic as it fails to ignore deprivation beyond affordability
- Single monetary poverty threshold cannot be applied worldwide as it is difficult to compare prices worldwide
- Allen, 2011 tried to solve issues of this by creating standardised costs of basket necessities, adapted to the cheapest local grains and resources fixed to a fixed calorific quantity - e.g. India where it is sugar, rice, kerosene and meat.
- Able to understand inequalities more by addressing distance of poor below poverty line using a headcount ratio.
However, Sen, 1976 argues that whilst it offers quantitative improvement over simply counting the poor below the poverty line, it remains limited at qualitative level such as capabilities, skills and personal resources
Capability Deprivation - Sen, 1982
An alternative to income-centric tradition of poverty analysis regarding welfare economics.
- Approach to view capabilities as a way of building agency to derive people out of poverty.
- Indicators include Gender Inequality Index and Human Development Index