Global Poverty Lesson 1 PDF

Global Poverty  Learning Goals Define 4 types of poverty: subjective, absolute, relative, and integrative. Identify how poverty affects different regions and groups of people. Identify the impacts of poverty on health outcomes and criminality. Identify how poverty contribut...

Global Poverty  Learning Goals Define 4 types of poverty: subjective, absolute, relative, and integrative. Identify how poverty affects different regions and groups of people. Identify the impacts of poverty on health outcomes and criminality. Identify how poverty contributes to modern slavery. Which of the following is NOT a type of poverty? A single mother lives on minimum wage A father lives on minimum wage with 4 with 3 kids. She can afford the basic kids. On social media, it looks like he is necessities like food, clothing, and water. doing very well. However, behind the However, she can’t afford to send her kids camera, he feels like she is living in poverty to soccer, or to buy them a birthday since he can’t afford to rent a nicer present. apartment without cockroaches. A couple with 1 kid recently became homeless after both parents were laid off. They are depending on homeless shelters and the food bank for food and shelter. These are ALL types of poverty!  Relative Poverty Relative poverty is a standard of living where people can afford necessities but cannot reach the average standard of living of their society. Comparison with neighbors: The idea that you must keep up with your neighbors' standard of living to not feel deprived.  Example of Relative Poverty Imagine a family living in a wealthy country like Canada. The average income in their community allows most families to afford a comfortable home, good education, healthcare, and leisure activities. However, this particular family earns much less than the average income. They might live in a smaller, less well-maintained home, struggle to afford new clothes, and have limited access to extracurricular activities for their children. While they may have enough to meet basic needs, their quality of life is significantly lower compared to the majority of their neighbors.  Relative Poverty Relative poverty is about social exclusion and the inability to participate fully in the economic, social, and cultural life of the community. It highlights the disparities within a society, even if basic needs are met.  Subjective Poverty Subjective poverty is present when your actual income does not meet your expectations and perceptions. Subjective poverty has more to do with how a person or a family defines themselves. This means that a family subsisting on a few dollars a day in Nepal might think of themselves as doing well, within their perception of normal. However, a Westerner traveling to Nepal might visit the same family and see extreme need. Example of Subjective Poverty Consider a person living in a middle-income neighborhood. They have a stable job, a decent apartment, and can afford basic necessities. However, they constantly compare themselves to their wealthier neighbors who have larger homes, luxury cars, and take frequent vacations. Despite meeting their basic needs, this person feels poor because they perceive their lifestyle as significantly inferior to those around them.  Subjective Poverty Subjective poverty highlights how personal feelings, and social comparisons can influence one's sense of economic well-being, even if they are not objectively poor.  Absolute Poverty Absolute poverty: Lacks even the basic necessities. Basic necessities: Adequate food, clean water, safe housing, access to healthcare. Shocking number of people: 88 million live in absolute poverty. Close to 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 per day.  Example of Absolute Poverty Imagine a family living in a rural area of a low-income country. They have no access to clean drinking water and rely on a contaminated river for their water supply. Their home is a makeshift shelter made of scrap materials, offering little protection from the elements. They often go days without sufficient food, leading to malnutrition. Medical care is unavailable, so treatable illnesses can become life-threatening. This family's daily struggle is not just about living comfortably but about surviving from one day to the next.  Absolute Poverty Absolute poverty is a severe and life- threatening condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It highlights the urgent need for basic human rights and resources.  Integrative Poverty The "poor" are numerous in the same area. Some cities in the North or East of France experience this reality. The "poor" form an extensive social group, they are not heavily stigmatized. They are accepted in their environment and local authorities must provide them with specific support and assistance. Example of Integrative Poverty In some cities in the North or East of France, such as parts of Seine-Saint-Denis or certain areas in the Grand Est region, poverty is prevalent. Here, a significant portion of the population lives below the poverty line, but they form a large, cohesive social group. This widespread poverty means that being poor is a common experience, reducing the stigma often associated with poverty. Local authorities in these areas recognize the need for comprehensive support and have implemented various programs to assist the poor.  Integrative Poverty These might include: 1. Social Housing: Providing affordable housing options to ensure that everyone has a safe place to live. 2. Community Centers: Offering educational programs, job training, and recreational activities to help residents improve their skills and quality of life. 3. Healthcare Services: Ensuring access to medical care, including mental health services, to address the physical and psychological needs of the community. 4. Food Assistance Programs: Distributing food to those in need to combat hunger and malnutrition. Who are those living in poverty? Women There is a large disparity in poverty between rich and poor countries. The poorest: Mainly women living in peripheral and semi- peripheral nations. Time is one of the few luxuries for the poorest, but women in poverty have less of it due to their family and economic responsibilities. Although men and women may have the same rate of economic poverty, women suffer more in terms of overall well-being. Women face more difficulty in obtaining credit to develop businesses, finding time to acquire new skills, or dedicating extra hours to improve their craft in order to earn a higher wage.  Africa The majority of the world's poorest countries are in Africa. This does not mean that ALL countries in Africa are poor. Some countries like South Africa and Egypt have much lower poverty rates than Angola and Ethiopia. Income levels in Africa have dropped relative to the rest of the world, meaning that Africa as a whole is becoming relatively poorer. Poverty in Africa is often linked to the availability of arable land and centuries-old struggles for land ownership. Many of Africa's natural resources were exploited by colonial powers, leaving little agricultural and mineral wealth on the continent. Civil wars and poor governance worsen poverty in Africa, often resulting from artificial colonial borders and imposed leaderships.  Egypt and South Africa have lower poverty rates in Ethiopia and Africa Angola have higher poeverty rates in Africa  Asia Although the majority of the world's poorest countries are in Africa, the majority of the poorest people are in Asia. Similar to Africa, Asia experiences disparities in poverty distribution, with countries like Japan and South Korea holding much more wealth than India and Cambodia. Most poverty is concentrated in South Asia. One of the main causes of poverty in Asia is simply the pressure exerted by the size of the population on its resources. China's recent success is largely attributed to its strict population control rules and market-oriented reforms, which have contributed to a significant reduction in poverty and a rapid increase in income levels.  Japan and South Korea are wealthier countries in Asia India and Cambodia are less wealthy countries in Asia  Latin America The poverty rates in some Latin American countries, such as Mexico, have recently improved, in part due to investments in education. However, other countries like Paraguay and Peru continue to struggle with poverty. Although there is a lot of foreign investment in this region, it tends to be speculative and high-risk, making it difficult to harness, especially when coupled with high interest rates for aid loans. Internal political struggles, illegal drug trafficking, and corrupt governments have added to the pressure on the region Paraguay and Peru struggle with poverty  Global Stratification Global stratification: refers to this unequal distribution among nations. There are two dimensions to this stratification: 1. gaps between countries 2. gaps within countries When it comes to global inequality, both economic inequality and social inequality may concentrate the burden of poverty among certain segments of the earth’s population (Myrdal 1970).  Key Aspects of Global Stratification Economic Inequality: This is often measured by comparing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of different countries. For example, high-income countries like Luxembourg have a much higher GDP per capita compared to low-income countries like Burundi Social Inequality: This includes disparities in education, healthcare, and living standards. For instance, literacy rates and access to quality healthcare are significantly higher in developed countries compared to developing ones  Key Aspects of Global Stratification Political Inequality: Power and influence are unevenly distributed globally. Countries with more political power, such as those with permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council, have greater influence over international decisions Environmental Inequality: Low-income countries often suffer more from environmental degradation and climate change impacts, despite contributing less to global pollution  Gini Coefficient One way to measure inequality is the Gini Coefficient, named after the Italian sociologist and statistician Corrado Gini. This is is calculated using a number of financial indicators, and is expressed as either a decimal or a percentage. A country in which every resident has the same income would have a Gini coefficient of 0 (or 0 percent). A country in which one resident earned all the income, while everyone else earned nothing, would have an income Gini coefficient of 1 (or 100 percent). Thus, the higher the number (the closer to that one person having all the income  Gini Coefficient What do you think Canada’s gini coefficient is? 31.7% What do you think the USA’s gini coefficient is? 39.8% What country do you think has the best gini coefficient? Czech Republic 23.2% Source: https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/si-pov-gini