Categories of poverty
Research highlights the importance of distinguishing between 'chronic' poverty (those living in poverty for a long time) and 'transient' poverty (those moving in and out of poverty).
See: www.chronicpoverty.org
Various poverty characteristics are commonly associated with chronic poverty. These include geographic locations such as remote rural areas, urban slums and conflict zones; and disadvantaged social groups such as castes, tribes, ethnic groups, and refugees. Within households, the elderly, women and children, people living with disabilities, serious illness, widows and orphans are also more likely to live in chronic poverty.
Escaping poverty: can policy reach the chronically poor? explains why taking into account the differences between chronic and transient poverty is important for policy. Chronic or long-term poverty requires policies that target investment to poor households so that poor people can improve their social and economic situation. Temporary or transient poverty affects a much larger group of vulnerable households, and requires emphasis on interventions that support households during hard times, such as social safety nets, insurance and credit programmes.
The very poor, who benefit least from policies for development, are found in all countries, poor and rich, remote rural areas and inner city slums. In practice, however, the priority categories of the very poor differ from country to country. In India research has focused on disadvantaged castes, women, the elderly and residents of remote rural areas. In regions that have experienced conflict, disadvantaged groups include internally displaced people and refugees.
See: www.chronicpoverty.org
Various poverty characteristics are commonly associated with chronic poverty. These include geographic locations such as remote rural areas, urban slums and conflict zones; and disadvantaged social groups such as castes, tribes, ethnic groups, and refugees. Within households, the elderly, women and children, people living with disabilities, serious illness, widows and orphans are also more likely to live in chronic poverty.
Escaping poverty: can policy reach the chronically poor? explains why taking into account the differences between chronic and transient poverty is important for policy. Chronic or long-term poverty requires policies that target investment to poor households so that poor people can improve their social and economic situation. Temporary or transient poverty affects a much larger group of vulnerable households, and requires emphasis on interventions that support households during hard times, such as social safety nets, insurance and credit programmes.
The very poor, who benefit least from policies for development, are found in all countries, poor and rich, remote rural areas and inner city slums. In practice, however, the priority categories of the very poor differ from country to country. In India research has focused on disadvantaged castes, women, the elderly and residents of remote rural areas. In regions that have experienced conflict, disadvantaged groups include internally displaced people and refugees.
- Escaping poverty: Can policy reach the chronically poor?
- ( D. Hulme / id21 Development Research Reporting Service , 2002)
- The past few years have seen remarkable consensus on and commitment to poverty reduction from governments around the world. This has resulted in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which seek to r...
