Poverty in Developed Countries - Research Paper Example

Poverty in Developed Countries Roll No: Teacher: 1st November 2008 Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Outline 3 Poverty in Developed Countries 4 Introduction 4 Poverty 4 Developed Countries 5 Poverty in Developed Countries 6 Conclusion 9 Works Cited 10 Outline Poverty is a worldwide problem that is faced by developing as well as developed nations. Poverty is the unavailability of essential necessities of living a life such as food, shelter, clothing and employment. Developed countries are those countries, which are economically stable and which have a strong industrial network. Poverty in developing countries is considered to be controlled somehow but it is not entirely true, as it is a major problem of developed countries. Governments of developed countries should take essential measures to resolve the problem of poverty. Poverty in Developed Countries Introduction Poverty is a worldwide problem that is faced by not only developing but also developed states of the world. Poverty is a condition that is problematic. It is related to inability of fulfilment of necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, education, health security and employment. Poverty is linked to many other problems such as death, diseases, inequality, over population and many other problems. Developed countries are those countries that are considered financially stable and sound. The developed countries are regarded as able to control the problem of poverty of their countries but this is not true as poverty is quite prominent there. This paper contains a description related to the poverty in developed countries. Initially poverty is defined. Afterwards, developed countries are described and then, there is a detailed account of poverty in developed countries and lastly, the topic is concluded. Poverty Poverty can be defined as a condition when people are unable to meet their day to day needs and are also unable to get the basic necessities of life such as food, shelter and clothing (Smeeding, et, al., 1990). Poverty also incorporates the capacity of obtainment of suitable employment, suitable education and equal rights. Poverty is considered as a condition, in which people can not avail the necessities of life. Good and healthy food, pure water, good clothes and a secure house to live, are the basic requirements of each and every human being (Rector and Johnson, 2004). Many people are unable to fulfil their requirements on the basis of their being poor. The poor people are unable to gather a good income with the help of which, they can buy or get the necessities of their life. Their children are unable to get good education. They along with their children are unable to get the required medical facilities because of the lack of income (Smeeding, et, al., 1990). They try to live in conditions that are unsafe for them and their children because they cannot afford even the fulfilment of their basic human rights. The people who are termed as living in poverty are unable to enjoy the facilities that are enjoyed by other citizens of a country (Smeeding, et, al., 1990). Developed Countries The countries in the world are divided into two categories which are developed countries and developing countries. Developed countries are those countries, which are financially stable and which have a whole successful industrial and economic system. On the other hand, developing countries are such countries, which are not fully stable and can be regarded as economically weak. Developing countries are in a phase of development while developed countries have the best resources and economic condition. Developed countries have high GDP rate or Gross Domestic Product rate and are able to facilitate their citizens with high income per capita (Barr, 2004). The countries, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Japan, Australia, France, Sweden, Italy and many other are regarded are developed countries of the world as they are economically powerful and have established and developed industrial system (Barr, 2004). These countries and many others are categorized as developed on the basis of improvements and developments related to living conditions in these countries. It is said that people are able to get their needs fulfilled along with their wishes and desires with the help of the incomes that they get (Smeeding, et, al., 1990). The developed countries also facilitate the developing countries with aid that are given in terms of financial support to keep control over poverty and living conditions (Smeeding, et, al., 1990). Poverty in Developed Countries The developed countries in the world are considered as less poverty stricken as compared to developing countries, as they are financially sound to fulfil the requirements of their people. However, it is noticed that all the measures that are taken to improve the conditions of poverty in developed countries are not fully successful in eradicating the helplessness of the poor. Moreover, it is informed that financial aids that are given for the eradication of poverty do not end it but increases it manifold (Bradley, et, al. , 2003). Analysts have informed that the poverty rate that was quite high a decade before has decreased to a great extent, people are able to get the necessitated (Kenworthy, 1999). Poverty has not ended and is not going to end even in developed countries. There are many reasons behind it. In developed countries, it is seen that people who are unemployed get some financial aid from government to get food, clothing and shelter. Unemployment is also a cause of poverty (Kenworthy, 1999). United States is a financially stable state but there are many concerns regarding poverty in the country. Many people from different nations have migrated to United States in search of employment and income as in their own countries; they face problems concerning their expenditures (Bradley, et, al. , 2003). Because of this migration of people from developing countries to a developed country such as United States, many people are unable to get their needful due to which, they have to suffer poverty. Measurement of poverty differs in different countries. According to developed countries, the definition of poverty is not the same as in developing countries. In developed countries, an individual is termed as poor, who is employed with less income, who is unable to facilitate his children with good education, full health safety, a large home, is unable to control his expenditures and good clothing while in developing states, poverty is defined as a condition, when one is unable to fulfil his necessities of life such as clothing, food and shelter (Barr, 2004). The problem of poverty can be linked to population of a country. In case of more population, the poverty rate cannot be controlled. In spite of all the measures that are taken in developed states for the control of poverty, there are less successful results (Bradley, et, al. , 2003). Developed countries cannot be regarded as fully successful in controlling the problem of poverty. Many analysts inform the problem of poverty is much controlled and in the hands of government as compared to developing countries, but this is not true (Kenworthy, 1999). In developed countries also, people are unable to get their needful. Some cities of developed countries are fully deprived of poverty stricken people, while other cities cannot ignore the problem of poverty. Developed countries like United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and many others have to suffer the burden of not only their own nationals but people from other states as well. Because of the migrated people from the developing countries to developed countries, there are problems of equal rights, unemployment, social welfare, health issues and many more (Kenworthy, 1999). The governments of these countries are unable to control the problem of poverty, as they are unable to facilitate all people with good education, employment, health security and other necessities of life (Smeeding, et, al., 1990). The claim that equal rights are given to all the residents of developed states is quite wrong, as there are many problems concerning poverty and other problems associated with it. The consideration that poverty has declined is related to developing countries only but if the state is matched to the status of poverty in developed states, it is seen that there are much problems concerning poverty (Bradley, et, al. , 2003). It has been reported that people who are living in developed states and are unable to control the problem of poverty are socially isolated (Rector and Johnson, 2004). In developed countries, there are many people who are unable to afford their houses due to which, they prefer squatting, as they capture the empty houses and other buildings that are not accommodated because of their being homeless (Kenworthy, 1999). Such people are poverty stricken and are isolated from society on the basis of their weakness regarding attainment of accommodation. The issue of poverty is not resolved in developed countries. The countries are able to provide some funding schemes, financial supports and education and health related supports to some of the people who are poor but not to all (Rector and Johnson, 2004). In spite of all the resourcefulness and financially stability of developed nations, the governments of these nations are unable to control the problem of poverty fully Poverty is not only a problem of developing countries, as some analysts state, it is the part of the whole world that contains, developing and developed all countries. Poverty is a worldwide problem that should be resolved with accurate and authentic policies made by the think tanks of all the countries (Rector and Johnson, 2004). Many other problems prevalent in society are associated to poverty such as crime, drug usage, lawbreaking, unemployment, overpopulation, homelessness, violence, infectious diseases and much more (Rector and Johnson, 2004). Even the spread of crime, violence and lawbreaking is associated to the problem of poverty. It is being said that the poor are more easily tempted towards all the criminal activities because they are persuaded towards doing of such crimes with some monetary benefits. Financial support is the need of the poor, so, they avail it by criminal activities (Bradley, et, al. , 2003). This consideration is not true, as the crimes of a society are not started by the poor. Poverty is itself a problem but other problems are not a result of poverty. In developed countries, poverty is a problematic issue that needs resolution. Governments of developed countries should take effective measures to control the problem of poverty as poverty affects the society as a whole. The poor are unable to get proper health care due to which, they suffer from diseases that are worsened because of improper health conditions (Kenworthy, 1999). Deaths are also caused as a result of poor health conditions and diseases. Conclusion Poverty is a problem that needs concern from all the think tanks of the world, as the problem is not only faced by developing countries but also by developed countries. Financial aid is not enough; there should be proper measures to eradicate the problem as a whole. There should be arrangement of schemes for the poor. Equal rights and availability of all human necessities are the rights of all human beings and they should not be deprived of these rights. Works Cited Barr, N. (2004). The Economics of the Welfare State. New York: Oxford University Press. Bradley, D., Huber, E., Moller, S., Nielson, F. & Stephens, J. D. (2003). Determinants of relative poverty in advanced capitalist democracies. American Sociological Review, 68(3), 22-51. Kenworthy, L. (1999). Do social-welfare policies reduce poverty? A cross-national assessment. Social Forces, 77(3), 1119-1139. Rector, Robert E. and Johnson, Kirk A. (2004). Understanding Poverty in America. Executive Summary, Heritage Foundation, January 15. Smeeding, Timothy M., Michael OHiggins, and Lee Rainwater. (1990). Poverty, Inequality and Income Distribution in Comparative Perspective. New York: Urban Institute Press. Read More