WPW - Topic 1 Flashcards
What is the definition of absolute poverty?
Lacking the basic necessities for survival.
What is relative poverty?
Lacking the minimum necessities to partake in society.
What was the research carried out by Charles Booth on absolute poverty ?
Charles Booth
— Conducted street surveys (1889-1903)
— Focused on Inner London
— Found that 31% were living in poverty
— Based off an income level he has set to determine whether they were in absolute poverty or not
Charles Booth used his own categories to determine this for example, ‘lower class, vicious semi-criminal’ or ‘mixed, some comfortable others not’
What research did Seebohm Rowntree carry out on absolute poverty?
Seebohm Rowntree
— Profoundly affected by Booth’s work
— Conducted poverty surveys in York in 1901,1941,1951
— Sought to find whether citizens of York could purchase basic food items in order to survive
— As a result, he created a basket of goods as a measurement of absolute poverty.
Some of these foods included: bread, tea, butter, porridge
What are the measurements of absolute poverty?
- Basket of goods
— Rowntree
+ Basic foods needed to survive - Budget standards approach
— Bradshaw
+ The minimum income required to buy the items needed to be healthy - Poverty line
— EU
+ Those above the poverty line meet the budget standards.
+ Those below = absolute poverty
EVALUATION: Absolute poverty
> It is difficult to identify objectively what basic subsistence needs are
> It ignores the reality of the lives of the poor.
— eg. The poor are often unable to buy at the cheapest princes as they can only afford to buy in small quantities (which is not as good value as buying in bulk
> There is no clear subsistence minimum
— This varies between societies and between groups within the same society
— eg. An unskilled manual labourer doing heavy physical work will require more calories each day than an office worker; minimum nutritional and housing needs will be different in hot or cold climates.
> It ignores the social needs, cultural expectations and value judgements, and treats people as if they were nothing more than biological machines.
> Charles Booth’s research can be criticised as unreliable since it is difficult to replicate his study as a result of him using his own criteria.
— What gives him the authority to put people in categories which he made up?
> Budgetstandards were first introduced in an attempt to get away from minimum nutrition-based criteria. Translating nutritional standards into a basket of goods inevitably introduces social needs e.g. ensuring there is no isolation, utilities, clothing etc.
> The budget standards approach has allowed us to move forward from nutrition-based measures e.g. Can someone provide a standard of living norms for their given family type.
What was Peter Townsend’s research on relative poverty?
Peter Townsend (1979)
— Identified issues with the use of the absolute definition. Therefore, he found that poverty goes beyond the ‘basic necessities’.
— This is because poverty is closely linked to inequality, rather than anything else.
— As society changes, the definition of poverty must reflect these changes.
Townsend refers to societal changes such as: changes in the economy and standards of living.
What are the measurements of relative poverty?
- HBAI (Households Below Average Income)
— Labour gov. (1997-2005)
+ Those below the 60% median income
+ Mainly used to determine child poverty - Deprivation Index
— Townsend
+ Those who meet the indicators of deprivation based on what is required to be a part of society at that time. - Consensual Approach
— Gordon (2000) Mack and Langley (1993)
+ Those who could not meet 3/22 items listed on an agreed census on basic needs.
EVALUATION: Relative Poverty
STRENGTHS
> It recognises poverty as a social construction
— It recognises that measures of social deprivation are influenced by how other members of society define what is normal standard of living in any society.
— More than just nutritional needs but also what may be expected of them in a society.
— eg. whether they have money for transport, whether they’re able to buy close ones gifts for their birthdays etc.
> It recognises that what constitutes poverty can change between societies, and over time in the same society.
> It challenges the notion of there being universal concept of what constitutes poverty.
> The HBAI index uses official data and figures which provide us with an objective view on current patterns in the UK. It allows us to draw comparisons to identify areas of need for the government to get involved.
> Townsend recognises that minimum diets do not recognise different calorific needs of people eg. builder vs office worker.
WEAKNESSES
> It is not an indicator of poverty but simply of social inequality
— No natter how rich a society becomes there will always be those who lack things that most people might want and have.
— Relative poverty will always exits as long as inequality exists
— Peter Townsend is often criticised as being preoccupied with the inequality rather than the actual poverty.
> It is ridiculed with value judgements as to what constitutes a reasonable standard of living.
> It is difficult to establish what counts as acceptable standard of living and what cultural needs should be included.
— Everyone will have their own way to view the world and have a different culture so it is difficult to pin point where to draw the line.
What are Cultural Explanations?
These theories explain social behaviour by exploring norms, values and attitudes of individuals social groups.
— Often known as victim-blaming theories
What is meant by The Culture of Poverty?
Oscar Lewis (1950s)
+ Mexico & Puerto Rico
— The poor have a ‘culture of poverty’ with its own norms and values and way of life
— This separates the poor from the rest of society
— The culture is transmitted from generation to generation through socialisation
— this ‘victim-blaming’ approach was developed by writers of the New Right
According to Oscar Lewis what are the features that the poor have?
- Fatalism - The view that ‘it is what it is’ and the belief that nothing can be done to change their situation. They believe that they don’t have ultimate control over the direction that their life goes in.
- Resignation - They make little effort to change their situation or not taking opportunities to escape poverty when they arise.
- Lack of future planning
- Marginalisation - Not identifying themselves with the mainstream society.
What is the idea of Dependency culture?
David Marsland (1989)
— Poverty arises from the generosity of the welfare state.
— This is because the New Right sees many of the poor as undeserving
— Therefore, those that depend on the welfare state become lazy and undermine the production of wealth.
What is meant by the ‘underclass’?
Charles Murray (1984)
— Charles Murray suggests that there is a class that is beneath the working class.
— This new class emerged after the ‘Nanny state’
— This particular class socialise their families to be dependent on the state
What do the different perspectives say on cultural explanations?
> MARXISTS:
— No-one chooses to rely on benefits.
— Poverty is not a ‘lifestyle choice’
— The whole idea of so-called ‘welfare dependency’ blames the poor for their situation, ignoring how they are made poor because of the the actions of the rich.
> SOCIAL DEMOCRATS:
— Yes, but only because the welfare dependent have no choice because of their poverty traps them on benefits.
> NEW RIGHT:
— Yes, there is a underclass which values idleness, immoral behaviour and crime, and they fund this lifestyle by depending on welfare handouts.