What is Poverty?

1
What is Poverty?

• Poverty is deprivation of those things that
  determine the quality of life, including food,
  clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, but
  also such "intangibles" as the opportunity to
  learn and to enjoy the respect of fellow
  citizens.

2
Poverty

• Poverty may affect individuals or groups, and is
  not confined to the developing nations.
• Poverty in developed countries is manifest in a
  set of social problems including homelessness and
  the persistence of "ghetto" housing clusters.

3
What are the causes of Poverty?

• Many different factors
• (no single explanation has gained universal
  acceptance)
• International level
• global systemic causes (such as trade, aid and
  debt)
• National level
• deficiencies of public administration and
  financial management
• Some point to personal factors
• drug use, work ethic and education level
• Inadequate social services and policies
• biased in favour of the wealthy and social elite

4
Economic Factors

• Unemployment
• Increased farming for use in biofuels, along with
  world oil prices at nearly 100 a barrel, has
  pushed up the price of grain.
• Off-shore tax havens - The wealthy in a society
  shift their assets to deprives nations of
  revenue.
• Unfair terms of trade, in particular, the very
  high subsidies to and protective tariffs for
  agriculture in the developed world.
• Drains the taxed money
• Increases the prices
• Decreases competition and efficiency
• Prevents exports by more competitive agricultural
  and other sectors.

5
Environmental Factors

• Erosion. Intensive farming often leads to
  exhaustion of soil fertility and decline of
  agricultural yields and thence increased poverty.
  
• Desertification and overgrazing. Approximately
  40 of the world's agricultural land is seriously
  degraded.
• In Africa, if current trends of soil degradation
  continue, the continent might be able to feed
  just 25 of its population by 2025, according to
  Ulna's Ghana-based Institute for Natural
  Resources in Africa.
• Deforestation
• the widespread rural poverty in China that began
  in the early 20th century is attributed to
  non-sustainable tree harvesting.
• Climate Change. Limits what crops and farm
  animals may be used on similarly fertile lands.
• Drought and water crisis.

6
Health Care

• Poor access
• makes individuals less resilient to economic
  hardship.
• Inadequate nutrition in childhood
• undermines the ability of individuals to develop
  their full human capabilities.
• Clinical depression
• undermines the resilience of individuals (when
  not properly treated makes them vulnerable to
  poverty).

7
Governance

• Lacking democracy in poor countries.
• Governance effectiveness
• major impact on the delivery of socioeconomic
  outcomes for poor populations.
• Weak rule of law (The rule of law, is the
  principle that no one is above the law)
• can discourage investment.
• Failure to provide essential infrastructure

8
Social Factors

1. Overpopulation and lack of access to birth
   control methods.
2. Crime
3. War
4. Discrimination

9
Poverty Stinks!