Poverty and Social Exclusion

Chapter 12
Anthony Giddens and Philip W.Sutton

What is Poverty?
1. Absolute Poverty
It is grounded on the idea of subsistence--the basic conditions that must be met in
order to sustain a physically healthy
existence.
People who lack sufficient food, clothing
and shelter are said to live in poverty.
It is held that standards for human
subsistence are more less the same for all
people of an equivalent age and physique,
regardless of where they live.

What is Poverty?
2. Relative Poverty
It relates poverty to the overall standard of
living that prevails in a particular society.
Poverty is culturally defined and should
not be measured according to some
universal standard of deprivation.
It is wrong to assume that human needs
are everywhere identical---in fact, they
differ both within and across societies.

The Problem of Measurement

1. A poverty line is commonly used to
measure absolute poverty based on the
price of the basic goods:
*variations in human needs
*the cost of basic necessities will differ from
region to region
2. As societies become more affluent,
standards for relative poverty are gradually
adjusted.

Poverty as Deprivation (1)

Peter Townsends deprivation index:

1. Has not had a holiday away from home in the past 12
months
2. Has not had a relative or a friend to the home for a
meal or snack in the past four weeks
3. Has not been out in the past four weeks to a relative
or friend for a meal or snack
4. Has not had a friend to play or to tea in the past dour
weeks
5. Did not have a party on last birthday
6. Has not had an afternoon or evening out for
entertainment in the past two weeks.

Poverty as Deprivation (2)

7. Does not have fresh meat (including meals out) as
many as four days a week.
8. Has gone through one or more days in the past
fortnight without a cooked meal.
9. Has not cooked breakfast most days of the week.
10. Household does not have a refrigerator.
11. Household does not usually have a Sunday joint
(three in four times).
12. Household does not have sole use of four amenities
(flush WC; sink or washbasin and cold water tap; fixed
bath or shower and gas/electric cooker).

Who are the poor?

1. Children---household

2. Women
3. Ethnic minorities
4. Older people

(1) Children
Worse health
A low birth weight
To be injured and killed in a road accident
To suffer abuse and self-harm
To attempt duicide

(2) Women
The gendered division of labor inside and
outside the home.
Part-time job
A mans job vs womens work
Less well-paid

(3) Ethnic Minorities

A high degree of labor segregation

Pakistani and Bangladeshi

Black Caribbean
Chinese
White

Poorly paid jobs

Struggle at school
Lived in deprived areas and in poor quality of
housing.
To suffer health problem

(4) Older People

State pension.
The number of pensioners on a low
income does tend to increase with age,
though there are divisions within
pensioners groups.

Explaining poverty
1. Culture of poverty
Blame the victims
2. Structural poverty
Blame the systems.

Culture of Poverty (1)

Blame the victims.
Poverty was the result of an inadequacy or
pathology of individuals.
A lack of skills
Moral or physical weakness, absence of
motivation.
Below average ability.

Culture of Poverty (2)

Charles Murray
An underclass of individual who must take
responsibility for their poverty.
This group forms part of a dependency culture.
Poor people who rely on government welfare
provision rather than entering the labor market.
The growth of the welfare state has created a
subculture that undermines personal ambition
and the capacity for self-help.

Structural Poverty
Blame the system
Structural forces or factors such as class,
gender, ethnicity, occupational position,
educational attainment and so forth shape the
way in which resources are distributed.
R.H Tawney (1964) said that poverty as an
aspect of social inequality.
Reducing poverty is not simply a matter of
changing individual outlooks, but requires policy
measures aimed at distributing income and
resources more equally throughout society.

Social Exclusion (1)

Social exclusion refers to ways in which
individuals may become cut off from full
involvement in the wider society.
Social exclusion is not only the result of people
being excluded; it can also result from people
excluding themselves from aspects of
mainstream society.
Weak versions of social exclusion see the central
issue simply as one of trying to ensure the
inclusion of those who are currently socially
excluded.

Social Exclusion (2)

Strong versions also seek social inclusion, but,
in addition, try to tackle some of the processes
through which relatively powerful social groups
can exercise their capacity to exclude.
Rising levels of school exclusion for bad
behavior.
Social exclusion, then, is a broader concept of
poverty, though it does encompass it.

Labor Market Exclusion

Work is important not just because it provides an
adequate income, but also because involvement
in the labor market is an important arena for social
interaction.
Labor market exclusion can lead to the other
forms of social exclusion---poverty, service
exclusion and exclusion from social relations.

Service Exclusion
Service exclusion refers to lack of access
to basic services, whether these are in the
home ( such as power and water supplies)
or outside it (for example, access to
transport, shops or financial services).

Individual service exclusion (the individual

can not afford to use a service)
Collective service exclusion (when a
service is unavailable to the community)

Exclusion from social relations

1. individuals are unable to participate in
common social activities, such as visiting friends
and family, celebrating special occasions,
spending time on hobbies, having friends round
for a meal and taking holidays.
2. if the individuals are isolated from friends and
family.
3. A lack of practical and emotional support in
times of need.
4. a lack of civic engagement--- voting, local or
national politics, writing a letter to a news paper

The Welfare State

Poverty and social exclusion at the bottom are
alleviated to some degree by the welfare state.
The state plays a central role in the provision of
welfare--- education, health care, housing and
income.
Citizenship : Civil rights, political rights, and
social rights.
Civil rights: freedom of speech, thought, and
religion; the right to own property, the right to fair
legal treatment

The Welfare State

Political rights: the right to vote, to hold
office, to participate in the political
processes.
Social rights: the right of citizens to
economic and social security through
education, health care, housing, pensions,
other services.

Three Types of Welfare Regimes

1. Social Democratic welfare regimes.
2. Conservative corporatist welfare
regime
3. Liberal welfare regime.