The Elements of Continuity and Change in the Ways in Which Poverty Has Been Defined - Coursework Example

Name: Tutor: Title: ELEMENTS OF CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN THE WAYS WHICH POVERTY HAS BEEN DEFINED Course: Date: Table of Contents Introduction 2 Understanding poverty and inequality: Perspectives 4 Poverty: political influence and impact upon policy making 5 Poverty and Social Exclusion 6 Poverty and Inequality – Elements of Continuity and Change 7 Poverty Policy under the Government 9 The Rediscovery of Poverty to the present 11 Social Policy: Unemployment, Economic Policy and the Depression 12 The Conquest of Poverty 13 Poverty and progress aims, findings and influence 13 Conclusion 14 Bibliography 15 Introduction In simple terms poverty can be defined as a lack of socially perceived necessities. Participation poverty is regarded as a social exclusion. Thus for any poverty to exist in a certain society individuals should live under conditions that are regarded as hardship. Therefore poverty is not the same as inequality. Therefore the perception of poverty is transformed into policy via a more accurate set of definitions and procedures. The definition of poverty is fundamental to political and policy formulation. Poverty therefore is defined in relation to its major determinants. In the United Kingdom poverty is defined whether it is absolute or relative type of poverty. Thus poverty implies an individual’s inability to participate in society due to factors such as low income and a low standard of living. United Kingdom may be regarded as a developed society but in respect to poverty there are certain sections of the population that are considered impoverished due to the fact that they are living below the set standards of living in the country. It may not be necessarily that they are living in absolute poverty but the standards of living are much lower than the greater segment of the societal expectations (Madden, 2000 pp.121). In the past absolute poverty was defined as the lack of individual’s ability to cater for their own physical basic needs of food, clothing and shelter whereas relative poverty is considered as a multidimensional concept. In historical perspective poverty was mainly considered as absolute due to incapability of meeting basic needs as opposed to the 21st Century where poverty is defined in terms of its relativity. It is also important to note that social policies play a major role in the definition of poverty. Societal policy formulation and implementation will greatly influence whether such a society will be termed as a poor society or not. Therefore in terms of social policy making and implementations society is able to be gauged in terms of its poverty index. Social policies play an essential role as far as poverty is concerned. Globally many countries have implemented the use of social policies in the fight against poverty that is regarded as a major social and economic concern. The paper will therefore evaluate the elements of continuity in which poverty has been defined and the role of social policies in eradicating poverty in its totality (Muriel, 2008 pp.61). Understanding poverty and inequality: Perspectives In simple terms poverty can be defined as a lack of socially perceived necessities. Participation poverty is regarded as a social exclusion. Thus for any poverty to exist in a certain society individuals should live under conditions that are regarded as hardship. Therefore poverty is not the same as inequality. Inequality on the other hand implies the disparities in the structures of the society. The disparities lead to inequalities in the society. According to sociological perspective of poverty argues that the major cause of poverty is not on an individual basis but lies within the failure in the structures of the society. Therefore in the United Kingdom poverty is mainly caused by the insufficiency in the economic and political structures of the society. Historically welfare programs were used in the effort of eradicating poverty in the society. However the welfare programs failed as a result in the cut in budgetary allocations and more tight restrictions that created more difficulties in the poor households (Page, 2003 pp. 71). On the other inequality in the United Kingdom is experienced as a result of various social dynamics. In every society there is a class of people who are regarded as either rich or poor. The existence of these two classes in the society has led to inequalities being experienced in the social structure. Sociologists argue that due to social and economic factors in the society there are certain individuals who are more privileged that the other in terms of access to resources and other basic necessities in life. It is therefore believed that the existence of inequalities in UK is the main cause of poverty. Thus inequalities lead to poverty. Inequality in UK has led to some individuals more prevalent to poverty situations than the others, for instance, the unemployed, the disable among other vulnerable groups. Such groups are not equal to the other group due to their physical nature or the environmental setting that they find themselves in is not able to adequately cater for their basic necessities (Carney, 2006 p. 107) Generally poverty was measured through the use of income poverty line. This is whereby several household are sampled in order to measure their vulnerability to poverty. Income rates therefore forms the main yardstick of the measurement of poverty in many households. Those households that are regarded as living below the poverty line or in extreme deprivation of the basic necessities in life are considered as poor. As social workers income poverty has fundamental propositions for the need of social security in the society. Therefore there is need for a better understanding of poverty in UK that will encompass the nature of complexity of the individual’s living standards and at the same time founded in the basic definition of poverty as being lack of basic necessities in life or deprivation of essential necessities of life (Madden, 2000 pp.171). Poverty: political influence and impact upon policy making Political institutions or the government of a particular country play a crucial role in terms of policy making and implementation in regards to fighting and eradicating poverty. In the United Kingdom policy making and implementation solely lies with the Ministry of Social services that is mandated by the national government to formulate policies that will aid the poor and eradicate poverty as a social problem experienced by certain segment of the population. Since policy making is vested in such a ministry that is a political form of office there is bound to be political interference in terms of policy formulation and implementation process. Due to certain government interests poor policies may be formulated that will not help the poor nor aid in the reduction of poverty (Muriel, 2008 pp.111). Thus political influence poses as a threat in terms of policy formulation and implementation process. In certain circumstances the government may come up with effective policies but fail to implement such policies due to lack of political good will and unfavorable political environment. Therefore in regards to the United Kingdom the political environment has both negative and positive impacts upon policy making and implementation. When the political environment is hostile or unfavorable the process of policy making will experience a negative impact and thus such policies are bound to fail. In totality the political climate greatly influences the quality of policies formulated and whether such policies will be successfully implemented or not. Political history of a particular country will also play a crucial role in impacting on policy making and implementation. In cases where a country has a poor history in terms of policy making and implementation as a result of political influences such a country will not be able to formulate effective policies in future due to constant political influences. Political influence may be in form of political institutions interests against the interest of the people or the national government interests against the interests of institutions vested with the responsibility of formulation policies for the interests of the society (Karelis, 2007 pp.152). Poverty and Social Exclusion Social exclusion refers to the extent to which a certain population is at risk of experiencing poverty. Research has been conducted in the United Kingdom to ascertain to what extent a particular group is susceptible to experiencing poverty in order to enable policy makers to formulate policies in the effort of reductions of such risks factors and poverty in such groups in general. For instance a survey conducted in the UK in 2011 indicated that 22.7% of the entire population was considered as being at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This percentage was equivalent to 14.0 million people. Therefore the term social exclusion is fundamental in regards t poverty and how individuals are at risk of being regarded as poor or living in poverty. Historically the proportion of people in the UK living in households with low intensity has undergone decline over time. However despite this fall the level of low work intensity in the UK has remained elevated as compared to other European Union Countries. Therefore several researches have been conducted with the aim of improving the measurement of poverty, deprivation, social exclusion and standard of living together with assessing the historical transformation in poverty and social exclusion. The population that is regarded as living in absolute poverty or below the expected standards of living is considered as being socially excluded. This is due to the fact that the impoverished population is not able to acquire certain necessities that are considered as basic as compared to their counterparts who are in a possible to acquire such basic needs. Therefore when a population is unable to acquire certain expected basic needs it is secluded from the rest who can acquire such basic necessities of life Poverty and Inequality – Elements of Continuity and Change Households in United Kingdom have evolved over time and the gap between the rich and the poor has continued t increase due to certain disparities such as the level of income and the standard of living. Historically major changes has occurred in terms of transformation in earnings and employment, government and tax benefit policies that has a great effect on the incomes ability of many households. Therefore inequality is often regarded as the gap between the rich and the poor but in general terms encompassing the disparity in incomes between different segments of the population. Poverty and inequality has undergone major significant changes in terms of patterns across the population historically. During the early 60s poverty rates were much higher for pensioners especially the state pensioners as compared to the rest of the population. In the UK the state pensioners are subjected to heavy levies leaving them poor and dependent on the little pension that they get from the state. Therefore the government policy to impose heavy taxes and levies on state pensioners drive them to poverty and living a miserable type of life as opposed to the rest of the population. Another set of the population that is at risk of experiencing inequality and poverty in the UK is the disabled and the mentally challenged individuals. Historically the disabled and the mentally challenged individuals have been constantly been neglected and secluded form the rest of the population. This has led to such group of individuals to live in absolute poverty as they are not in a potion to provide for the basic daily necessities. The government has greatly contribute to enhancing such risks in this group due to failure by the government to formulate policies that will help in protecting them as well as ensuring equal job opportunities for such type of people while at the same time catering for the medical needs. Most individuals with disabilities are not educated due to seclusion and therefore they are not in a position to find a gainful source of income to provide for their basic necessities. Income inequality is also another contributory factor in increased poverty levels in United Kingdom. During the recession period income inequality was elevated as result of the world economic crisis that most European countries were experiencing. This is evident in the fact that households that receive lower incomes are susceptible to poverty as compared to households that receive adequate income. Thus poverty and inequality is measured in terms of the amount of income available to a certain population. The income level will enable the particular household to access the basic necessities of life or not in a position to access the same. The level of income is determined by the employment status and education level of individuals. Unemployment greatly contributes to household lower income that leads to poverty and inequality. Education levels on the other hand determine the available job opportunities to individuals. Education also enables individuals to move away from poverty and therefore distort the poverty cycle of a certain population. In the UK children are also another risk population in regards to poverty. Historically many children have been forced to child labour as a result of poverty. This is a situation whereby children are forced to work so as to provide for their needs as well as that of the entire households as a result of poverty and inequality. Several campaigns have been launched in the UK to save the younger generation against poverty and its effects that include child labour that children engage in the efforts of evading poverty while at the same time providing for their households. Poverty Policy under the Government The UK government has made tremendous efforts in a bid to reducing poverty and inequality thorough the enactment of certain policies that aims at eradicating and reducing poverty levels among the population. In terms of policies there are certain options that are available to the government to consider in the efforts of policy making. The policy option in the transformation of distribution of income and wealth amongst the population has been employed by the government in its efforts of reduction of poverty index in the country. Through this policy policies to safeguard the poor in terms of minimum income guarantee for pensioners that is aimed at increasing real value has been enacted. There is also the enactment of national minimum wage through the labour government as a strategy to safeguard income and enable individuals to earn income that will be able to sustain them together with their household in terms of provision of basic necessities. The government has also enacted the policy of creating employment for the young people through the active employment policies and the introduction of new deals and a long term strategy intended to increase employment opportunities for such groups as the unemployed and the disabled (Kim, 2000 pp.171). The government has embarked on enacting social policies in regards to children poverty that drive children into the labour market so as to provide for their households at a tender age. This strategy was enacted through the Child Poverty Act 2010 that affirmed the government’s position in fighting child poverty in UK. Other important policies enacted by the government at fight and alleviate poverty include; the promotion of higher levels of employment with the incentive spending on labour market training and subsidization for business through the use of new deal programme, formulation of policies to aid in offering financial help to certain vulnerable groups such as the disabled and enacting policies aimed at improving work incentives to the low paid individuals. Among the policies that have been proved to be more effective include investing more resources in skills training and life-long education particularly low income families in an effort of reducing child poverty. The policy of raising the higher rate of tax for the top earning households with the objective of making the tax system more progressive and through the policy of increasing the value of welfare benefits or tax credits that will be in line with the annual percentage growth. However it is important to note that no particular policies to relieve any country off poverty are risks free. This is due to the fact that these policies are usually highly expensive to implement and their effects takes a lot of time to felt among the population that the change is desired (Green, 2009 pp.105). The Rediscovery of Poverty to the present The rediscovery of poverty in the early 19th Century coupled with the rebound of poverty indicated higher levels of poverty being experienced in the UK. This was also evident in the rate of child poverty levels that were rising over time in UK. Historically the understanding of poverty was correlated to a concept of physical functioning. Hence poverty was regarded as the lack of basic necessity in life for the purpose of fulfilling the entail basic needs. Therefore in the past poverty was considered as the inability of a particular population to cater for its basic necessities. The lack of basic necessities of life was termed as absolute poverty. At present the term poverty is viewed in different perspectives of a certain population. Therefore the term poverty is relatively defined. Poverty is not only viewed as the lack of basic necessities but also in terms of both the social, economic and political aspects of the society. Thus any deficiency in terms of social, economic and political needs leads to poverty or a society being impoverished (Kim, 2000 pp.121). Many researches carried out during the first half of the 20th Century indicated that despite temporary setbacks in the fight against poverty, there was an evident characteristic of a downward trend. In the absence of a common understanding of poverty it would be regarded as a social phenomenon that disappeared in the post war period. However a relative interpretation of poverty brings out an absolutely diverse notion (Green, 2009 pp.41). A variety of studies have applied the regression models and in the process treating poverty as a dependent variable. However the dependent factors reflect either the relativity or absolute nature of the definition of poverty. In the UK, the policy stress of the poverty, advocacy community is centered on distributional concerns. For instance the Child Poverty Action Group (2009) advocates for elevated inheritance taxes and a more progressive structure of council tax. Therefore poverty can only be comprehended in connection to social norms and sustainable reductions are only successful through effective policies that will fully address the ever wider inequality that drives poverty (Child Poverty Action Group, 2000). Social Policy: Unemployment, Economic Policy and the Depression During the early 1920s the UK economy experienced a period of depression, deflation coupled with a steady decline in the economy that was regarded as being pre-eminence. Therefore due to the effects of depression the UK economy experienced stagnation in terms of its economic growth and development. In the course of this period the country experienced mass unemployment that rose to nearly 10% due to the effects of the Second World War. Thus unemployment as a social and economic problem was especially depression to ex-service men who had returned after the war and lacked employment. The main reason for the high levels of unemployment was due to lack of demand as a result of contractionary fiscal and monetary policy as there was insufficient demand in the UK economy that led to the stagnating economic development. As a result of these factors the population experienced deflation that discouraged consumer spending while at the same time escalating the weight of liabilities. As a result the UK government embarked on reducing spending throughout the deflationary recession together with a fixed monetary policy and a fixed exchange rate (Madden, 2000 pp.121). The Conquest of Poverty Tremendous efforts have been made in UK in the fight against poverty over time. Due to the multifaceted approach in the definition of poverty from the past to the present it is important to note that the efforts for the eradication of poverty have been successful. Historically the government was engaged in the use of poor policies in eradicating poverty that was not receptive to the targeted population and the policies were neither economic nor social friendly hence the failure of such policies. However in recent time the government has embarked on the use of effective policies that encompass both the social political and economic aspects of the society to achieve success in the implementation of such policies for the benefit of the society in eradicating and minimizing poverty levels. The conquest of poverty therefore needs to be understood form various perspectives and periods in history so as to ascertain the failure of certain social policies and how to implement fresh policies for its success to be achieved. Though much has been achieved in the fight against poverty and inequality research has shown that there are still elements of poverty that is evident in some aspects of the society and therefore more needs to be done (Muriel, 2008 pp.81). Poverty and progress aims, findings and influence In the United Kingdom many research has been done with the sole aim of eradicating poverty especially the element of absolute poverty in its totality. Much progress has been achieved in the recent times with the collaboration of the civil society in the efforts of helping the poor and putting up incentives in order to eradicate poverty. Research findings indicate that poverty has been regarded as both social and economic issue in many countries globally that need to be eradicate and enhance the living standards of the society. Furthermore the high levels of poverty experienced in developed countries is mainly influenced by several factors that include failure of the government to enact effective policies that will caution the population against the effects of poverty or poor social policies that are not effective in the fight against the rising poverty index. Hence there is need for sustainable social policies that will aid the fight against eradicating poverty while at the same time maintaining the progress that has been achieved so far. The answer in eradicating poverty lies in the type of social police the government formulates and implements fully for the benefit of the vulnerable population and the whole population at large against the effects of poverty (Kim, 2000 pp.121). Conclusion Poverty in the UK is still a major social and economic issue and it is likely to remain so in the near future if effective social policies are not enacted to eradicate it. The solution to eliminating poverty lies in the nature of social policies that are enacted in a bid to eradicating poverty. These social policies range from upholding the education standards in the country while equipping the population with the necessary skills that will enable them acquire employment opportunities in their own sustenance. The formulation of social welfare policies especially among the state pensioners that enable the retirees to benefit and not live in absolute poverty. In the UK the government enacted the policy of wealth redistribution that aid in closing the inequality gap and creates the rich and poor classes in the society. Inequality has proved to be the main fueling reason of rising levels of poverty. This is due to the fact that inequality leads to poverty and therefore the fight against poverty should go hand in hand with the fight against inequality. Social policies should be protected against government or institutional interferences to remain effective and successful. In some instances the government greatly contributes towards the failure of certain social policies due to constant interfere or enactment of poor social policies that are too expensive to implement while at the same time not effective. Hence the government needs to rethink in the types of social policies that will be more effective in eradicating poverty as both a social and economic concern amongst its population. Thus the reduction of poverty especially the absolute poverty is fundamental to the United Kingdom and the world t large in order for security and economic purposes to be achieved. This is only possible through the use of sound social policies that will effectively eliminate poverty. Bibliography Page, R. 2003, New Labour and paid work: a break with the past? In Benefits, Vol. 11, No. 1, Feb 2003 Carney T., 2006, Social Security Law and Policy, Federation Press. Madden, D. 2000, ‘Relative or absolute poverty lines: a new approach’, Review of Income and Wealth, 46(2): 181–99. Muriel, A. 2008, ‘Living standards and inequality’, Presentation, London: Institute for Fiscal Studies, Kim, H. 2000, ‘Anti-poverty effectiveness of taxes and income transfers in welfare states’, International Social Security Review, 53(4): 105–29. Karelis, C. 2007, The Persistence of Poverty. Why the Economics of the Well-Off Can’t Help the Poor, New Haven, CT, and London: Yale University Press. Green, K. 2009, ‘To tackle child poverty we must also address inequality’, Touchstone blog, Trade Union Congress, Child Poverty Action Group., 2000, ‘Tackling child poverty’, CPAG Policy Briefing Read More