SWLF 3105 (Week 12) Today

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SWLF 3105 (Week 12)Todays theme Poverty

• Two important thoughts as we begin
• What do we commonly assume about the unemployed ?
• Do most people consider themselves working class?
  Why?

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Agenda for this week

• Update on proposed field trip for next semester.
• Paper 2 final deadline is Thursday at 1130am.
  
• Analysis of Week 11 readings (Course pack, Vol.
  2 pp. 1-29)

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Measuring poverty

• The National Council of Welfares Poverty Profile
  (1998) suggests
• A definition of poverty StatsCan definition
  56.2 of ones income is spent on food, clothing,
  and shelter.
• Many different measurements the range (p.2) here
  is between 20K to 40K.

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2. Trends in poverty

• From 1980-1998, poverty has changed little over
  time. 1997 is the post-1989 peak in poverty,
  after six years of strong economic growth!
• Being a member of a dual earner family is clearly
  beneficial as an anti-poverty strategy
• Men have lower rates of poverty than women
• Significant strides have been made in reducing
  poverty for elderly Canadians.

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3. Poverty and Work Activity

• Compare families under 65 working over 103 hours
  per week versus those with no hours, and their
  respective rates of poverty (57.1 vs. 3.2).
• Even having one partner in a family working full
  time hardly avoids conditions of poverty.

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4. The depth of poverty

• The key question
• How far are most Canadians living below the given
  standards measuring poverty?
• Answering this question involves measuring a
  poverty gap.
• Poor elderly Canadians here are close to the
  poverty line, making success here more likely.
• Single Canadians lt65 have deep rates of poverty,
  as do single-parent mothers.

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The Poverty Gap

• Total poverty gap in Canada (1998) 17.9B
• This represents about 2 of Canadas GDP.
• What it would cost Canada to raise seniors out
  of poverty (1.4B), all families with children
  out of poverty (5.7B), all unattached
  individuals out of poverty (7.6B)
• It is interesting again to note that poverty
  rates have increased as the Canada underwent
  considerable economic growth in the 1990s.

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6. The MBM measurement in perspective

• The authors of Understanding the 2000 Low Income
  Statistics Based on the Market Basket Measure
  make a distinction between absolute and relative
  measurements of poverty.
• What is the significance of this distinction? On
  this basis, what is the difference between the
  LICO measurement and the MBM?

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Living in Poverty in Canada

• The notion of continual deprivation is
  important, the struggle for day-to-day survival.
  Emergencies or extra spending is not available.
• Other definitions could simply include a lack of
  income, or fewer life choices.

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Poverty and good economic sense

• Discussing the relationship between poverty and
  good economic sense is very much like our
  previous discussions of social debt
• Whitehall Study health improves as one moves up
  the income ladder.
• Justice most people who go to jail are poor
• Human rights social solidarity produces social
  order
• Minimum wages ground needs to be made on this
  crucial bottom standard of low-wage work.

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9-10. The durability of poverty

• Clearly Canada has a problem with poverty, but
  why is this the case?
• Consider the case of reductions in rates of
  poverty among seniors in recent years. Why has
  this happened?
• Are there other impediments to alleviating
  poverty in Canada?
• What do you think about the National Council of
  Welfares plans to reduce poverty?

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11. Describing the poor 1960 to present

• This Senate of Canada documents begins by
  claiming poverty is a social problem. The poor
  are casualties of the way we manage our economy
  and society. (xxvii)
• Who have we read that makes a similar argument to
  this?
• Social reforms are described as political
  concessions by government. What does this mean?

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12. The pragmatic approach

• This Senate report estimates that a mere 1 of
  Canadian GDP could eliminate poverty
• Welfare programs are described as a mess a
  social wasteland. Society is accused of
  trapping people in conditions of poverty
• A compromise between a radical and
  traditional approach is encouraged here. An
  adequate minimum income is proposed, and
  targeted programs for poor Canadians.

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13-14. Poverty and political will

• The Senate report makes a case that poverty is a
  matter of political will.
• But what would have to happen for the Senates
  recommendations to be accepted?
• John Clarke makes a case that his
  organizationOCAPaims at creating political
  will for the poor and homeless. Do you think
  this is a fitting description?

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Direct action and political will

• OCAP uses tactics of direct action that involve
  confronting people or officials they deem as
  detrimental to the poor or homeless. There are
  historical precedents for this in North America.
• Confrontation, in this sense, need not involve
  violence.
• Are these tactics effective?

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Rethinking political and social mobilization

• Clarke makes a case here that Capital is no
  longer interested in compromises and
  concessions, and that the old respectable
  methods of struggle are getting us nowhere.
• Clarke calls moral appeals for social change
  worse than useless, consultation is a waste
  of time.
• But is it fair to make a rigid distinction
  between respectable appeals and direct action?

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17. Benefits and rights

• In this editorial, The National Post makes a case
  against the notion of benefits being described as
  rights.
• What is the basis of their negative assessment of
  UN standards?
• Do UN standards privilege left-wing political
  ideas?

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For next week

• Please remember to submit your papers by this
  Thursday at 1130am. They will be handed back in
  the New Year.
• Happy holidays! Have a deserved and relaxing
  break. Try not to work more than necessary, and
  indulge yourself were possible.