2. Poverty is pronounced deprivation in well-being, and comprises many
dimensions. It includes low incomes and the inability to acquire the basic
goods and services necessary for survival with dignity. Poverty also
encompasses low levels of health and education, poor access to clean water
and sanitation, inadequate physical security, lack of voice, and insufficient
capacity and opportunity to better one’s life. (World Bank Definition)
What is poverty?2
3. Major types of poverty
Absolute poverty
Relative poverty
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4. Absolute poverty
Declaration of Copenhagen
“A condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs,
including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter,
education and information. It depends not only on income but on access to
social services” (United Nations, 1995)
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5. This is a level of poverty in terms of the minimum requirements necessary
to afford minimal standards of food, clothing, health care and shelter.
For the measures to be absolute, the line must be the same in different
countries, cultures and technological level.
In 2015, the World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than
US$1.90 per day.
Data: Ferreira et al 2015
Chart by Kenny and Sandefur.
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6. Absolute poverty makes comparison easier.
But it gives contradictory meanings.
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7. David Gordon’s paper of “Indicators of poverty and hunger” for UN,
further defines absolute poverty as the absence of any two of the
following eight basic needs:
Food
Safe drinking water
Sanitation facilities
Health
Shelter
Education
Information
Access to services
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8. Living in absolute poverty is harmful and can endanger your life!
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9. Relative poverty
“Relative poverty refers to individuals or groups lack of resources when
compared with that of other members of the society—in other words, their
relative standard of living” (Oxford Dictionary of Sociology -1994)
Relative poverty is the condition in which people lack the minimum
amount of income needed in order to maintain the average standard of
living in the society in which they live.
This is defined relative to the members of a society and therefore differs
across countries.
Relative poverty changes over time.
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10. Most of our country’s current social progress is viewed in relative terms.
Our commonly used measure of relative poverty is the nation’s poverty line.
The poverty line or the poverty threshold is the minimum level of income
deemed adequate in a given country.
Determining the poverty line is usually done by finding the total cost of all the
essential resources that an average human adult consume in one year.
In Sri Lanka, Official Poverty line at national level for July 2016 is Rs. 4132
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11. 7 Types of poverty
ECONOMIC POVERTY – Lack of monitory demands for providing
themselves with food, cloth and shelter
BODILY POVERTY – Lack of property physical health and access to health
living conditions
MENTAL POVERTY – Lack of thinking, access to education and
knowledge
CULTURAL POVERTY – Lack of coming together in a society
SPIRITUAL POVERTY – Lack of feeling of brotherhood/togetherness
POLITICAL POVERTY – Lack of understanding of how the system works
SOCIETAL POVERTY – Lack of social connectivity
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