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Terri Willard
Joined: Jul 27, 2001
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What is Poverty?
July 4, 2003 - 12:46 PM
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International development terms and focuses come in cycles.... over the last five years, there has been a massive return to the concept of overcoming poverty. At times, it looks like a return to the 1970s approaches of fulfilling "basic needs." But, in reality, our collective understanding of poverty has come a long way in the last 20 years.
A lot of the most recent research and analysis was sparked by the work of an Indian economist named Amartya Sen. He won the 1998 Nobel Prize for economics for his work on poverty (http://www.nobel.se/economics/laureates/1998/).
According to Sen, poverty is a complex, multifaceted world that requires a clear analysis in all of its many dimensions. Being poor does not mean living below an imaginary poverty line, such as an income of two dollars a day or less. Rather than measuring poverty by income level, Sen recommends calculating how much an individual can achieve with that income, taking into account that such achievements will vary from one individual to another and from one place to another.
Furthermore, Sen emphasises that poverty analysis should focus on an individual’s potential to function rather than the results the individual obtains from functioning. His book "Development as Freedom", he states that the "overarching objective" of development is to maximize what he calls people's "capabilities" -- their freedom to "lead the kind of lives they value, and have reason to value."
If development is about overcoming poverty, than it means that one important one importat facet of poverty is people's lack of opportunities/capabilities to participate in decisions affecting their own lives. Participation has intrinsic value in addition to its instrumental value in improving people's lives.
This is one of the main reasons why I started the other thread on youth involvement in the PRSP processes (http://www.takingitglobal.org/discuss/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3020). Participation matters.
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Lewis Best
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What Is Poverty?
July 5, 2003 - 03:33 AM
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To me, the World Bank defines poverty very well.
World Bank PovertyNet website
Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not being able to go to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom.
Besty
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Elizabeth
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Poverty?
July 6, 2003 - 08:10 AM
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Poverty, in my eyes, is the frustration of one being. Food does not come for days at a time; I am frustrated. My body is infected with open spores, I cannot fight off disease; I am frustrated. The rain has not come, my crops will not yield; I am frustrated. My children cannot learn, their are no schools, they cannot have a better life than I; I am frustrated. Rain is coming but I have not the money to protect myself from the elements; I am frustrated.
That is my view of poverty. You may say to me,"You are a child, you have no idea what it is truly like to live a life under those conditions." And, unfortunately, you are right. I am sheltered. Protected from the cruel world, not shown what it feels like to live in poverty. So, I must imagine. Why imagine the suffuring of my fellow people, why not pretend it does not exist? It does, and it has always been present. "No", I say, "I won't bury my head in a dream of peace and prosperity when I am living a nightmare of conflict and poverty!" Closing my eyes to poverty will only make it worse. Acknowledging it and working to help the situation can only make it better. Please, for the benefit of all man kind, know the definition of fear; know poverty.
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Okantey Eric Adjei
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HOW I UNDERTSTAND POVERTY
July 7, 2003 - 02:42 AM
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POVERTY,AN EMEMY TO ALL THE HUMAN RACE.RICH,POOR,YOUNG & OLD ARE BOTH AT ALL TIMES UNDER THE THREAT OF POVERTY.I TERMED POVERTY AS "A LACK OF HAPPINESS",
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Cara
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defining poverty
July 13, 2003 - 12:29 PM
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I think that I'll stick with the world bank definition. Because....
I too have never had to experience living in poverty, my life has been overwhelmingly stable in comparison to the 1.2 billion people living on less than a dollar a day, or even compared to the 5.2 billion people in developing countries.
For a lot of us here using TIG, we can only imagine what it would be like. (Opinionram14) above described poverty as being 'frustration'. Which shows that at least she's put herself in the shoes of another and tried to imagine how it feels... However, I personally would feel 'helplessness'... that is how I would define poverty if I had to give it a feeling. However, since I/we do not know what it is like, in defining poverty it is best to be objective (e.i. defining the physical and political environments pertaining to poverty-stricken areas)... because we cannot imagine how each individual feels, and we cannot assume that everyone responds the same way to poverty... each and every story is different. (maybe we can ask people living in these areas how they feel??)...
However, putting yourself in the shoes of another is a step in the right direction.
---
Carasaf
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Gerald Derome
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Re: What is Poverty?
July 14, 2003 - 10:37 AM
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Ignorance.
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Roentgen
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Re: What is Poverty?
July 15, 2003 - 12:10 PM
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I subscibe to the Sen definition. Poverty is the lack of choice/s, and the lack of choice/s prevents people from participating in processes which determine their destinies. This also makes it multidimensional, like develoment itself. The lack of accessible and affordable education make it difficult for people to participate in other meaningful activities (that includes economic and political processes). Thus, human development is about enlarging our choices. It more or less gives us a glimpse of the range of choices available to people living under specific and similar conditions (geographic, for example).
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Olawuyi Olusola Akanbi
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Poverty in Africa is caused by Africans themselves
July 16, 2003 - 11:14 AM
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God has endowed man with everything he needs. Hands to till the soil, brains to profer solutions, hardwork to put food on his table.
Our leaders reverse this principle, hands forge and loot treasuries, brains produce fradulent activities(419 syndrome).
What is the end result, the masses suffer, the young are malnourished. The economy is nothing to write home about. The agricultural policies are not water-tight due to corruption-end result:famine.
To eradicate poverty eradicate corrupt leaders.
God bless humanity
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Amira Sobeih
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Definitions of poverty from a human rights perspective
July 26, 2003 - 07:20 AM
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The lack of basic security connotes the absence of one or more factors enabling individuals and families to assume basic responsibilities and to enjoy fundamental rights. The situation may become widespread and resu lt in more serious and permanent consequences. The lack of basic security leads to chronic poverty when it simultaneously affects several aspects of people's lives, when it is prolonged and when it severely compromises people's chances of regaining their rights and of reassuming their responsibilities in the foreseeable future. "
- United Nations High Commissionor -
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Mostafa Hussein Youssry Abdallah
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The Triangle
July 29, 2003 - 05:55 AM
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i think that poverty means: the inability of a person or a country to obtain food, clothes, and shelter to live so our problem is like a triangle which to be perfect the whole 3 sides of this triangle should be connected which means that for the connecting of the those three factors we must find :1)fine food
2)clothes
3)good shelter able to prevent him from the
changes of the weather..
if we are able to close this triangle i am sure that the word related to our minds poverty will disappear but will appear the problem of the poverty of computer knowlage ......etc. but these are secondary meanings of poverty ....
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Kristine Shermer
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Poverty...
August 30, 2003 - 02:27 AM
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Poverty is no disgrace to a man, but it is confoundedly inconvenient.
-Sydney Smith
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Sam Hall
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Re: What is Poverty?
September 23, 2003 - 10:43 AM
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Poverty is a lack of the most basic supplies that keep you healthy and alive due to financial or trade and production difficulties.
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Zu
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Re: What is Poverty?
October 14, 2003 - 07:02 AM
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How about forgetting the word poverty and getting confused about it, as its beginning to be a 'cliche', an 'Orwellian Newspeak' word.
Why dont we just say things, there are people starving to death in this world? Whilst people waste food and throw it away cause their spoilt kids dont like the taste of it.
Lets keep things simple enough so that the majority of people dont get too confused here alright?
also, as I have said in another POST. Poverty is KEY to capitalism. Capitalism thrives on poverty, for instance. If you have a lot of poor people, you can pay them less, if everyone was rich, they would not work. Poverty is a form of CONTROL, of oppression for Capitalism and Globalisation.
Think, should we just look at the Poor dieing people and say, damn they are Poor aint they? DUH! How about looking at the RICH spoilt stuck ups, and stop saying ahh but in CAPITALISM, you are rich cause you worked hard. yeh, right, work hard like the Black Slaves in Early Capitalist AMERICA, Australia and Britain?
Who are you people, who are these PEOPLE! Who store their millions and spend it just for themselves! Ignoring and almost despising the rest of the real world out there?
STOP DEFINING POVERTY, and just look at the causes and look to ACTION!! Whilst we people online with computers are debating this, most people never ever to know what a computer or the web is, will be living short lives, filled with the FULL BRUNT of the New World Orders rule.
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Pap-sy
Joined: Nov 13, 2003
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Poverty - the 20th Century menace
November 13, 2003 - 10:46 AM
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Poverty comes in different facets.
Round the world, so many persons suffer from hunger, ill health, low income, unemployment, sicknesses, lack of shelter and clothing, peace and security, trust and honesty etc - this is poverty in different forms.
From any angle, poverty can be said to be lacking, or not benefitting totally of what is wanted. So many people want, but cannot have. So the lack of non-availability of these items is poverty on their own side.
Poverty has always been on the increase. In different forms, man has caused or brought about poverty. Through defforestation, toxic chemical releases and gaseous flares the wildlife, sealife, occean beds, vegetational forests and fields are being destroyed, thus reducing the worlds' production of food for all. (Hunger - poverty).
Low economic stability has also increased with time, people cannot earn as expected. The pay received do not commisurate their works. No money to take care of themselves, their immediate families and also get lifes expectancies.
Due to unemployment, there is no work for those willing to work. The eagerness is there, but no work. (Poverty)
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