Poverty and Social Exclusion - Essay Example

?Poverty and Social Exclusion By Introduction This present essay deals with the issues of poverty and social exclusion. In particular, itsmain objective is to clearly define or establish the true meaning of poverty and what it entails. Secondly, the essay will seek to establish how poverty differs from social exclusion. In this regard, the essay will commence with a critical analysis of the issue of poverty and then it will analyse the issue of social exclusion. These initial analyses will help in providing the reader with adequate background information about the essay title and the objective of the study. In the third section, the essay will state the relationship between poverty and social exclusion; that is to say, to what extent the two differ or are similar to each other. Perhaps the significance of undertaking this study can be interlinked with the studies conducted by Bloom (2012), which indicated that the extent of poverty and social exclusion is escalating across the world because of numerous factors; and some recent events allude to this fact. For example, various sources, including scholars such as Bloom (2012), have stated that besides the killing of Mark Duggan, the other root cause of the 2011 England riots was the high rate of unemployment among youth, which denoted the extent of poverty among the youth and the level of socio-economic inequality. These problems were not only prevalent in London but also across other parts in the United Kingdom. The riots lasted for nearly four days and were characterized by various forms of crimes that included muggings, assault, looting, rioting, and even murder. They occurred in various cities across the UK and lead to the deaths of five people, 16 people being severely injured and nearly 200 people receiving minor injuries. Another recent case that has been making the news headlines is the Arab uprising that is still occurring in Syria. Lynch (2013) notes that a number of factors that included poverty and social exclusion in the Arab nations, comprising Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Syria, were also key contributing factors to the uprising that have been witnessed in these countries. The protesters in these nations have decried the rise in poverty levels that seemingly affect most households. Moreover, the protestors have lamented the unequal distribution of natural resources and wealth within the countries, which consequently contributed to the social exclusion of most communities, ethnic groups or tribes that were seen to be anti-government. The two examples perhaps justify the significance of undertaking this study and they provide a good basis for pointing out the consequences of poverty and social exclusion. Poverty Amartya (1976) described poverty as the condition or state in which a community or an individual person lacks financial capabilities and other basic essentials and, therefore, he or she is unable to afford minimum living standards as well as the general wellbeing that is considered acceptable in society. With reference to the studies conducted by Shildrick et al. (2010), they write that poverty denotes lack of access to basic human needs that include food, shelter, and clothing. Still, individuals or a community would be perceived to be experiencing poverty if they only have access to poor quality food, clothing, and shelter. Traditionally, poverty was only linked to the developing and underdeveloped nations across the world. However, the United Nations, as well as the World Bank, has established certain measures that denote a poverty line. It also justifies the existence of poverty even in the developed nations. According to Kerbo (2006), the World Bank first fixed the poverty line at $1 per day in 1990, but this figure was revised upwards to $1.08 in 1993. This baseline was applied until 2005 in all nations across the world on a purchasing power parity basis. By 2005, there was substantial evidence to show that the cost of living had increased across the world and there was need to readjust further the poverty baseline. Kerbo (2006) states that the subsequent review by the World Bank resulted in the definition of extreme poverty as living on less than US$1.25 or ?0.82 per day, while moderate poverty was redefined as living on less than ?3.28 per day. Lambros (2010) has stated that the rise in the number of millionaires across the world has been increasing at the same time as the number of people below the extreme and moderate poverty lines has been on a steady increase. This is particularly so in the underdeveloped countries and notably in Sub-Saharan Africa. This trend has been attributed to the increase in the cost of living while the income per household has largely remained the same. Therefore, many people have not able to emulate the rise in economic growth that has been generally witnessed across the world (Stiftung, 2011). Aldridge et al. (2012) notes that in the United Kingdom, trends in poverty have changed in the past few decades. The current composition of people living in poverty is entirely different to the composition of people witnessed 10 to 20 years ago. For example, the number of pensioners living in poverty has halved while the number of adults without children and living in poverty has increased by a third. Secondly, the number of people working but still living in poverty has also increased, which substantiates the earlier assertion that despite economic growth in most countries and the increase in the cost of living, the average income of most households has remained steady, thereby dragging many people into poverty. Thirdly, poverty has been reduced in the traditional social rented sector but it is now higher in the private rented sector. Fourthly, the Institute of Fiscal Studies (2011) has noted that in the UK, approximately 6.4 million individuals are currently working in roles or positions that they do not entirely prefer. Moreover, there are 1.4 million people currently working part-time jobs but they have a strong preference for full-time job, Aldridge et al. (2012) further add that this figure is at its highest for 20 years. From the earlier definition of the term ‘poverty’, it can be noted that poverty is hugely connected with a level of financial resources that can enable one to live above the extreme and moderate poverty line. Poverty is majorly attributed to or caused by a lack of income or a minimal income that is incapable of enabling a person or a household to live beyond the stipulated standards that define poverty (Lister, 2004). Spicker (2007) further adds that with no or a minimal income, one is unable to afford decent housing, clothing or even healthy foods, and, therefore, money is the key determinant of whether one is living a rich or a poor life. Pertaining to this, Serge (1998) states that a lack of money, on the other hand, is caused by various factors that can be considered as indirect causes of poverty, and they include lack of proper education, which hinders people from getting well-paid jobs that could improve livings standards. Secondly, physical or mental disabilities can also hinder someone from getting a well-paid job, and thirdly, lack of job experience can equally hinder people from getting top-level jobs that are well paying and could drastically improve their lives. Lister (2004) also adds that lack of initial start-up capital can hinder a person from venturing into business ventures, thereby denying the person the opportunity of being independent and able to afford a decent living standard. However, Shildrick et al. (2010) state that the listed factors are not necessarily key ingredients for no or low income or the subsequent poverty this causes, since there are many people who are able to afford comfortable lives without any proper education or job experience. Moreover, many disabled people have been able to gain top-levels jobs or build successful professional careers despite their disability, such as Stephen Hawking. Social exclusion Social exclusion has been described by Lister (2010) as the failure by society to provide a certain group of people or individuals with privileges and rights, which are ordinarily given to others. These rights and privileges include quality health care, decent housing, employment opportunities, education and training, democratic participation and civil engagement. Reiter (2013) offers simple demonstrations of social exclusion. These include acts such as not being invited to an event that is to be attended by other people that are perceived to be of certain class or have certain traits. Other acts of social exclusion are denial of access to certain public amenities because of various factors or lack of certain traits, and denial of an opportunity to engage in certain processes that involve democratic and civil engagement. James (2010) notes that the segregation laws in the United States before the 1960s were acts of social exclusion, whereby African Americans were denied certain privileges and rights, such as the voting rights that were enjoyed by the white population. The social exclusion extended to the workplace, transportation system, place of worship and even places of residence. James (2010) additionally cites the example of South Africa during the apartheid era when the majority black population was socially excluded by the ruling minority white one. Black South Africans were also equally denied certain rights and privileges, such as residing in areas designated for the white minority, attending social functions designated for white people, and even attending certain prestigious learning institutions and hospitals designated for white people. According to Mullaly (2007), a person or a particular group of people can become socially excluded because of their socio-economic status, living standards, educational status. According to Power and Wilson (2000), extreme cases of social exclusion are based on race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and physical abilities. Lavalette (2005) notes that social exclusion denies the excluded communities or persons the opportunities of engaging fully in the democratic process, or in economic and social activities within the country or region. Moreover, Barry (2005) states that the most common consequence of social exclusion is material deprivation and the resulting poverty and psychological and emotional traumas normally have an influence on the excluded persons or groups in engaging in criminal activities. The relationship between poverty and social exclusion According to Ridge and Wright (2008), poverty normally leads to social exclusion since it is among the factors that are used to justify the social exclusion of individuals or certain communities. For example, poor people are normally forced to reside in low socio-economic areas where they are unable to access other physical infrastructure that the government has constructed in areas where mostly the middle and upper classes reside. Such infrastructure includes decent housing, proper sanitation and sewage systems, adequate water supply, proper lighting, and even schools and healthcare facilities. Secondly, Kerbo (2006) notes that poor people are not normally accorded the opportunity to exercise their democratic rights of selecting a leader of their own choice since politicians take advantage of their plight to influence their choice through bribery or intimidation, thereby denying them the opportunity of exercising their full democratic rights without any external influence. Solley (2005) gives the example that ordinarily people living in poverty will not normally be invited to events that are hosted by well-off individuals or they may decide to exclude themselves from such events because of being uncomfortable around people from a higher social status. However, Fitzpatrick (2001) states that because of the vibrant civil society and fairness inherent within society, poverty, or socio-economic status has ceased to be a valid reason for social exclusion. However, this normally applies to the rights and benefits that are provided exclusively by the government. For example, through the National Health Service, no resident of London is excluded from enjoying a quality health care service. With regards to social exclusion, Hills et al. (2009) state that social exclusion is also a factor that contributes to a person or certain community living in poverty. For example, when certain groups of people are excluded from learning in a modern and advanced education system, they are likely to have poor academic achievements and thus they will not be able to get any well paying jobs. Therefore, the excluded persons will be forced to live in poverty while their counterparts enjoy a better living standard because of the quality education they received in modern and advanced learning institutions. However, Dean and Melrose (1999) state that social exclusion does not necessarily hinder a person from improving his living standards because even in the excluded area; there are opportunities that can enable a person to live at a considerably higher standard than others in the excluded area. For example, despite the segregation laws in the United States prior to the 1960s, there were still successful African-American scholars, professionals and businesspeople. Therefore, poverty and social exclusion differ in the sense that poverty is a temporary condition that is hugely determined by the level of income. Therefore, one can easily move away from poverty or, as easily, slide into a life of poverty. However, in order to defeat social exclusion in its entirety, it would be necessary to undertake a complex process, such as political reforms or constitutional amendments, as with the case of the abolishing of the segregation laws in the United States (Alcock et al. 2008). Conclusion This essay has established that poverty is the condition or state in which a community or an individual lacks financial capabilities and other basic essentials and, therefore, he or she is not able to attain the minimum living standards as well as the general wellbeing that is considered acceptable in society. As for social exclusion, it has been defined here as the failure by society to provide a certain group of people or individuals with privileges and rights which are ordinarily given to others, such as quality health care, decent housing, employment opportunities, education and training, democratic participation and civil engagement. In conclusion, the essay has established that both poverty and social exclusion are interlinked, but poverty differs from social exclusion in the sense that poverty is at times self-inflicted while external parties cause social exclusion. Secondly, poverty is a temporary condition caused by a lack of financial capabilities. Therefore, one can easily move away from poverty once one has access to adequate funds, while a person can as easily shift to a life of poverty immediately after losing financial capabilities. However, the elimination of social exclusion would be a complex process. References Alcock, P., May, M. and Rowlingson, K. (2008). The Student’s Companion to Social Policy. Oxford: Blackwell. Aldridge, H. Kenway, P. Maclnnes, T. and Parekh, A. (2012). Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion. Available at www.jrf.org.uk. Accessed on [21.05.2013] Amartya, A. (1976). "Poverty: An Ordinal Approach to Measurement". Econometrica 44 (2): 219–231 Barry.B (2005). ‘Why Social Justice Matters’. Cambridge. Polity Press. Bloom, C. (2012). Riot City: Protest and Rebellion in the Capital. Hampshire : Palgrave Macmillan Dean, H. and Melrose, M. (1999). ‘Poverty, Riches and Social Citizenship.’ Hampshire: MacMillan Press. Fitzpatrick.T (2001). Welfare Theory: An Introduction. Basingstoke. Palgrave. 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