FUNCTIONALIST/MARXIST/WEBERIAN POVERTY

Question 1

Outline the functionalist view on poverty

Answer 1

Functionalist writers such as gans and Davis and Moore claim that poverty occurs if people do not take advantages of the nature and opportunities of the meritocracy in society.

Question 2

State the three functions of poverty according to functionalists

Answer 2

Ensures people undertake the undesirable and dirty jobs on society which are necessary to the smooth running of society
Creates jobs for those who deal with poverty, eg: social workers.
Provides incentive to work hard and an example of what not to become

Question 3

Outline the WEBERIAN perspective on the existence of poverty?

Answer 3

The existence of poverty is due to the lack of skills poor people have to sell in the labour market giving them a ‘poor market position’. Townsend argues that low status workers don’t have much power to improve their labour market situation.

Question 4

Outline the Marxist view on poverty?

Answer 4

Causes of poverty lies in the economic system of capitalism. The interests of capital and profit always come before the interests of the individual. Milliband argues that economic deprivation causes political deprivation. And lack of political power in the lower classes helps maintain this structure.