Poverty - As a qualitative and quantitative concept
POVERTY – AS A QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE CONCEPT
(With reference to the Indian context)
What does it really mean to be poor? The First World countries are often referred to as the “industrialized” nations as against the Third World “developing” nations. What does it imply when you describe a nation as “developing”? Can lack of mere material resources imply deprivation? Doesn’t a strong economy in a developed nation lose gravity of ground when the major proportion of its population struggles for survival? What is then, ‘poverty’?
Poverty could be lack of shelter. It could imply hunger or a lack of education for some and a dearth of employment for many. Poverty is the state of being ‘without’, associated with hardships and lack of essential resources. As per World Bank, ‘Poverty is pronounced deprivation in well being’. The conventional view sees it largely in monetary terms – not having enough income or money to uplift oneself above an adequate minimum threshold. Today, often, it is tied to malnutrition, lack of freedom & power or illiteracy.
Poverty entails times, patience and money to be successfully measured. Then, why is there a need for nations to undertake the trouble of measuring poverty? To help nations worldwide to think clearly and systematically about how to improve the position of the poor in the society, countries are expected to measure poverty. Why so much effort has gone into addressing the bitter pill of poverty can be summed up in 4 pertinent reasons: (a) To keep the poor on agenda; (b) To target domestic and international interventions; (c) To evaluate and monitor projects geared towards the poor, and (d) To evaluate the effectiveness of institutions formed with the aim to help the poor.1
Commonly, poverty is measured based on income or consumption levels - a person being considered as poor if his/her consumption falls below a given minimum level usually referred to as the ‘poverty line’. Information on consumption and income is obtained
(With reference to the Indian context)
What does it really mean to be poor? The First World countries are often referred to as the “industrialized” nations as against the Third World “developing” nations. What does it imply when you describe a nation as “developing”? Can lack of mere material resources imply deprivation? Doesn’t a strong economy in a developed nation lose gravity of ground when the major proportion of its population struggles for survival? What is then, ‘poverty’?
Poverty could be lack of shelter. It could imply hunger or a lack of education for some and a dearth of employment for many. Poverty is the state of being ‘without’, associated with hardships and lack of essential resources. As per World Bank, ‘Poverty is pronounced deprivation in well being’. The conventional view sees it largely in monetary terms – not having enough income or money to uplift oneself above an adequate minimum threshold. Today, often, it is tied to malnutrition, lack of freedom & power or illiteracy.
Poverty entails times, patience and money to be successfully measured. Then, why is there a need for nations to undertake the trouble of measuring poverty? To help nations worldwide to think clearly and systematically about how to improve the position of the poor in the society, countries are expected to measure poverty. Why so much effort has gone into addressing the bitter pill of poverty can be summed up in 4 pertinent reasons: (a) To keep the poor on agenda; (b) To target domestic and international interventions; (c) To evaluate and monitor projects geared towards the poor, and (d) To evaluate the effectiveness of institutions formed with the aim to help the poor.1
Commonly, poverty is measured based on income or consumption levels - a person being considered as poor if his/her consumption falls below a given minimum level usually referred to as the ‘poverty line’. Information on consumption and income is obtained