What does poverty mean to you? What comes to mind when you think of poverty? Is poverty different in different communities and countries? Consider the economic, social, and political elements of this concept.
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Rachna Shah
Sep 22, 2017
What is Poverty?
What is Poverty?
The word poverty by itself covers a wide spectrum. While it would seem logical to use relative standards for measuring poverty (poor person from Nordic lands might be considered well off in Sub-Sahara), the another question that is usually presented is if poverty is to be determined through qualitative analysis or quantitative one.
Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen's study presents an interesting take where poverty is also defined by freedom of an individual to make choices. Here is a related piece from Harvard Magazine, though I would question the usage of global standards instead of local ones.
http://harvardmagazine.com/2011/01/who-is-poor
Poverty is actually a trap. When you belong to a poor group, you actually have very little chances to come out.
^The intergenerational cycle of poverty is quite distressing.
@Mayank - Thank you for sharing this article! It's important to see how different measurements of a certain index can change the way a situation is perceived.