Poverty, Social Security & Minimum Wage
Critically examine the trend and size of poverty in Hong Kong society. Please assess the effectiveness of the present Social Security system and the Minimum wage in eradicating poverty in Hong Kong.
Introduction
Poverty has been a hot issue in Hong Kong for several years. Several policies developed form the Social Security system have been adopted by the government for soothing this problem, such as the CSSA scheme and the MPF fund. Nevertheless, it seems that the poverty problem is getting worse. Voices of demanding the government to help the poor have become fiercer. Recently, the minimum wage is also called for guaranteeing the lower income group to be able to afford their living. In this essay, the trend and size of poverty in Hong Kong society would firstly be critically examined and thus the effectiveness of the present Social Security system and the minimum wage in eradicating Hong Kong’s poverty problem would be assessed.
Part I
Definition of poverty
Before examining the trend and size of poverty in Hong Kong, it is necessary to understand the definitions of poverty. According to United Nations, poverty is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It is also the lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. Poverty can be categorized into two types, absolute poverty and relative poverty. Absolute poverty is the basic and minimal living standard in the society, which commonly includes food, water, sanitation, clothing, shelter, health care, education and information. Relative poverty is the socially defined and dependent on social context, a measure of income inequality. It suggests that the lack of access to many of the goods and services expected by the rest of the contemporary society leads to social exclusion and damaging results for the individuals and families in relative poverty.
Part II Size and trend of Poverty in HK
In Hong Kong, there are three main types of measuring the size and trend of
Introduction
Poverty has been a hot issue in Hong Kong for several years. Several policies developed form the Social Security system have been adopted by the government for soothing this problem, such as the CSSA scheme and the MPF fund. Nevertheless, it seems that the poverty problem is getting worse. Voices of demanding the government to help the poor have become fiercer. Recently, the minimum wage is also called for guaranteeing the lower income group to be able to afford their living. In this essay, the trend and size of poverty in Hong Kong society would firstly be critically examined and thus the effectiveness of the present Social Security system and the minimum wage in eradicating Hong Kong’s poverty problem would be assessed.
Part I
Definition of poverty
Before examining the trend and size of poverty in Hong Kong, it is necessary to understand the definitions of poverty. According to United Nations, poverty is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It is also the lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. Poverty can be categorized into two types, absolute poverty and relative poverty. Absolute poverty is the basic and minimal living standard in the society, which commonly includes food, water, sanitation, clothing, shelter, health care, education and information. Relative poverty is the socially defined and dependent on social context, a measure of income inequality. It suggests that the lack of access to many of the goods and services expected by the rest of the contemporary society leads to social exclusion and damaging results for the individuals and families in relative poverty.
Part II Size and trend of Poverty in HK
In Hong Kong, there are three main types of measuring the size and trend of