Unit 4 Seminar Huamn Services - Research Paper Example

Poverty, why it exists and how policies affect it What is poverty? Poverty can be defined as the condition in which a person within a community is unable to financially obtain the essentials (food, medical care, housing and clothing among others) and resources to enjoy the minimum life standard. For to be termed as poor, then the individual must be living for less than $1.25 for those in third world countries, and less than $2 per day for those in Europe.Why does poverty exist?There are a myriad reasons why poverty exists in this world.

The first reason is by the rich buying things they do not need. Through this they get to waste money which they could have otherwise used in assisting the poor. The other reason why poverty does exist is because of government expenditure on war and security. The government spends so much money in the design and production of killing machines, while this money would have been used in raising the living standards of the less fortunate. The other reason that poverty exists is that it has been perceived to be rather cultural i.e. Passes from generations to generations.

The fact that one rises from the lineage of the less fortunate to some extent limit their ability to rise out of that.How can policy influence poverty?The influence of policy on poverty is multidimensional in that we have to consider political, social, cultural and economic policies. Political policies influence various aspects of the economy such as tax, which eats into peoples money. When it comes to social and cultural, some countries have some policies that deter people from moving out of the poverty level.

For example in India, if one is born in a poor society, then one is bound to that lifestyle forever.ReferencesDiana M. D. (2011). Social Welfare: Politics and Public Policy Copyright © by Pearson Education, Inc.: Published by Allyn & Bacon