economics of inequality & poverty Flashcards
equality
everyone gets the same
equity
fairness through proportionable allocation based on individuals needs and circumstances
income
money you earn over a period of time (wages, interest, rent etc.)
wealth
value of everything you own (house, car, investments) minus what you owe (debt)
wealth inequality > income inequality
gap between rich and poor is wider when it comes to wealth as compared to income, wealth can generate income, so rising wealth inequality can lead to greater income inequality
Lorenz curve
population is divided into 2 quintiles, richest quintile is top 20% of households that have highest disposable income
poorest quintile lowest 20% of households that have lowest disposable income
gini coefficient
measures degree of income inequality in a population
gini coefficient (from Lorenz curve)
(area between line of perfect equality and Lorenz curve) / (area below Lorenz curve)
poverty
inability to cover minimal consumption needs or minimum standard of living
two main types of poverty
absolute poverty & relative poverty
absolute poverty
household does not have enough income to meet basic needs essential for survival like food, shelter and clothing
two ways of measuring country-wide (absolute) poverty
- determine % of people whose daily income falls below specific baseline amounts. these baselines remain the same for every country
- most widely used baseline amount is USD$1.90 per day 2011 PPP
relative poverty
when household’s income is below the median income for the society. so even if they can afford basic needs, they are still considered poor because they are much worse off than most people in the country (usually relative poverty line is 50% of country’s median income)
other dimensions of poverty
access to basic necessities, access to education and opportunities, security from violence, voice and agency
access to basic necessities
eg. clean water, healthcare & sanitation
access to education & opportunities
people who are poor may not have the same opportunities for education & employment as those who are not poor
security from violence
people who are poor are more likely to be victims of violence
voice and agency
people who are poor may not have the same voice or influence in their communities as compared to those who are not poor
limitations of income based measures of measuring poverty
poverty is multidimensional, encompassing more than just income
multidimensional poverty index (MPI)
captures deprivation in health, education and living standards. individuals deprived in at least 3 of 10 MPI indicators are considered MPI poor
challenges in accurately measuring poverty
defining poverty, data limitations, poverty lines
challenges due to defining poverty
disagreements about what constitutes poverty make it difficult to measure more consistently
challenges due to data limitations
survey frequency: irregular or infrequent household surveys lead to outdated data
incomplete data: surveys often miss vulnerable groups like the homeless or sex workers
data disaggregation: lack of data disaggregated by factors like gender, disability and age hinders understanding diverse impacts of poverty
challenges due to poverty lines
underestimation: lines fail to capture the real severity and intensity of poverty (for ignoring the other dimensions of poverty)
oversimplification: lines create an inaccurate picture of the unpredictable and sporadic nature of poor people’s income
consequences due to challenges in measuring poverty
misleading understanding of the extent & nature of poverty, ineffective policy interventions due to flawed poverty data, exclusion of vulnerable groups from poverty statistics and support