Poverty reduction stands in the centre of the current development agenda of governments and aid agencies and is seen as an overarching aim of development intervention.
There is a danger that those suffering the severest forms of poverty will not be reached by the recent poverty agenda. It gets increasingly obvious that even in countries that perform well in terms of poverty reduction, there remains significant numbers of people in deprivation which is a sign that certain forms of poverty are not addressed by the current development agenda (Green and Hulme, 2005). The concept ‘chronic poverty’ is an attempt to understand and address those forms of poverty.
Chronically poor are defined as “people who remain poor for much of their life course, who may ‘pass on’ their poverty to their children, and who may die of easily prevent-able deaths because of the poverty they experience” (CPRC, 2004: 3) . Conservative estimates speak of 300 to 420 million chronically poor worldwide (ibid.).
The following three sections attempt to answer the question of whether the concept of ‘chronic poverty’ adds value to current poverty analysis and development policy. Sec-tion 2 introduces the concept ‘chronic poverty’ and section 3 gives an overview about current poverty analysis and its critiques, with a focus on current approaches and un-derstandings of poverty which influence the current poverty reduction agenda. Section 4 presents the analysis of whether the concept adds value to poverty analysis and the implications this may have for pro-poor policy making.
It will be argued that the concept of ‘chronic poverty’ has advantages on the conceptual level of poverty analysis and on the practical level of development policy and intervention. Those levels are highly interdependent: which measures are taken to fight poverty is dependant on how it is analysed and defined by academics, donors, societies and national decision makers. Therefore section four is divided into two parts: The first part will discuss the influences for conceptualising poverty and the second part will concentrate on practical implications for development policy and intervention.
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Chronic Poverty
3. Current poverty analysis and development policy
4. Value of the concept of ‘chronic poverty’
4.1. Implications of the concept ‘chronic poverty’ on a conceptual level
4.2. Implications of the concept ‘chronic poverty’ for development policy and intervention
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines whether the concept of "chronic poverty" provides added value to existing poverty analysis and investigates the potential implications of this concept for pro-poor policy making. It explores the differences between chronic and transient poverty and addresses how mainstream development agendas often fail to reach the most deprived populations.
- The conceptual distinction between chronic and transient poverty.
- Critique of current mainstream poverty analysis and development strategies.
- The multidimensional nature of chronic poverty and its causes.
- Policy implications: moving from economic growth focus to social change and empowerment.
- Targeting mechanisms for the chronically poor within development aid.
Excerpt from the Book
2. Chronic Poverty
Chronic poverty is understood as poverty which lasts over several years, often a whole generation or even several generations. Its past or perceived future persistence and the inability to escape from poverty are the key points about the concept. Chronic poverty can be distinguished from transient poverty which means that people fall into poverty for a short time but are able to escape (see Figure 1) (Hulme & Shepherd, 2003).
McKay and Lawson (2003) find in their study that chronic poverty can be associated with permanent disadvantages like lack of assets, which keeps people and their children poor while transient poverty is more associated with cases where people fall into poverty for a short time due to external shocks like serious illness, price fluctuation or other economic shocks. Chronically poor do not just have a low or no income, rather they suffer multidimensional deprivations like hunger, no access to services or productive assets, and they have low capabilities in terms of education, health or social capital, they are socially isolated and suffer from exploitation (CPRC, 2004). Furthermore their welfare is mostly highly dependant on support from others like family or other informal sources, Non Governmental Organisations (NGO), aid agencies or state systems.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the current development agenda and the perceived failure of existing strategies to reach the most impoverished populations, introducing "chronic poverty" as a necessary alternative lens.
2. Chronic Poverty: Defines the concept, contrasts it with transient poverty, and describes the multidimensional nature of the deprivations faced by the chronically poor.
3. Current poverty analysis and development policy: Analyzes the mainstream development discourse, identifying a persistent bias toward economic growth that often excludes the chronically poor.
4. Value of the concept of ‘chronic poverty’: Discusses how the concept shifts the focus from simple poverty metrics to underlying social, political, and historical causes, and examines practical implications for policy interventions.
5. Conclusion: Summarizes that addressing chronic poverty requires moving beyond economic-centric thinking toward long-term strategies that tackle social relations and inequality.
Keywords
Chronic poverty, transient poverty, poverty reduction, development policy, social exclusion, multidimensional deprivation, empowerment, pro-poor policy, economic growth, social change, political representation, livelihoods, vulnerability, inequality, development intervention.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this assignment?
The assignment explores the added value of the "chronic poverty" concept in contrast to traditional poverty analysis and its specific requirements for effective, pro-poor policy making.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Key themes include the distinction between different types of poverty, the critique of current development agendas (like the MDGs), social exclusion, and the necessity for political and structural changes in poverty alleviation.
What is the central research question?
The paper asks whether the concept of "chronic poverty" adds value to poverty analysis and what specific changes this perspective demands for policy makers to genuinely assist the chronically poor.
Which scientific approach is utilized in this study?
The work employs a literature-based conceptual analysis, synthesizing research from the Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC) and relevant academic critiques of mainstream economic development theories.
What is the focus of the main body of the text?
The main body defines the characteristics and causes of chronic poverty, contrasts it with mainstream economic-focused approaches, and explores conceptual and policy-oriented implications for the future.
Which keywords best describe this research?
Central terms include chronic poverty, multidimensional deprivation, social exclusion, political causes of poverty, and development policy.
Why does the author argue that current MDGs might be insufficient?
The author notes that while goals like the MDGs are ambitious, they often include quotas that encourage policy makers to focus on the "easy to reach" poor near the poverty line, potentially excluding the most deeply impoverished.
How should development interventions change to support the chronically poor?
The paper argues for a transition from short-term economic interventions to long-term commitments, including asset redistribution, social protection, and addressing underlying social and political power structures.
- Quote paper
- Cynthia Dittmar (Author), 2008, The concept of 'chronic poverty', its value for poverty analysis and for pro-poor policy making, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/131932
