Sociological Problem of Poverty and the Impossibility of Its Solution - Coursework Example

Sociological Problem of Poverty and the Impossibility of Its Solution One of the most important problems in our world is the problem of poverty, which is defined as the inability to provide an easy and affordable living conditions for most people within some country. Large scale of poverty, particularly in developing countries, poses a serious threat not only to national but also to the global development. In this paper we have covered the topic of poverty, the ways of its appearance and the reasons of its prevalence. Our paper is based on the works of such famous sociologists as P. Townsend, S. Ringen and Anthony Heath. We named the two main types of poverty and proved the fact that it is impossible to eradicate poverty as a social phenomenon. Keywords: poverty, absolute poverty, relative poverty, poverty line. Poverty cannot be extirpated from the society, only its spreading could be restricted. To bring this topic to light we need to distinguish the types of poverty and the reasons of its rise. According to the Hanbook for Sociology Theacher’s we can say that the sociologists distinguish two types of poverty: a) Absolute poverty. Which is related to the needs of vital resources that provide human biological survival? It is the satisfaction of basic needs - food, shelter, clothing. Criteria for this type of poverty feebly depend on the time and place of human habitation and are related to the biological characteristics that are important for the survival of the individual. b) Relative poverty. Is determined with a help of comparison of some level of living with a conventional standard, considered "normal" in this society. Average standard of living in the Western well-developed countries is certainly higher than in the countries which are only in process of developing. So what would be considered poverty in the developed Western country, for some other countries is regarded as a luxury. For example, in the Western countries the category of relatively poor people determined by those who have no trouble with the food, but cannot afford to meet the needs of higher level (education, cultural needs, etc.). Thus, the criteria of relative poverty based on social attributes and vary greatly depending on the time and place. (Hanbook for Sociology Theachers, p. 25-32) In addition to this basic classification of the poverty types, there are other approaches. Thus, we see a primary poverty (includes families, which lead a rational household, but do not have sufficient financial resources) and a secondary poverty (families who have the financial means, but are in need due to inefficient household leading). Finally, there is a distinction between "stable" ("inherited") poverty and the "floating" (some poor individuals find an opportunity to reach a higher standard of living, but also people with average incomes get ruined and go to the category of poor). There are several concepts of emergence and reproduction of poverty as a social phenomenon. Cultural concept. One of the key concepts in the framework of this approach - the culture of poverty. Proponents of this approach stay on the fact that the poor environment is characterized by distinct culture, which is based on humility, inability to build persons future and fatalism. In the process of primary socialization, these values ​​are transmitted from one generation to another, leading to the "inheritance" of poverty. Other culturalogical explanation of poverty uses the concept of dependency culture. If the theories of the culture of poverty the poor themselves are considered to be the source of their troubles. In their tern the concepts of dependency culture the source of poverty is the goverment with its social welfare programs. Is considered by many liberal scholars, that these programs lead to the fact that the poor are no longer rely on their own strength and parasitize the expense of society. According to the proponents of this concept, one of the solutions to the problems of poverty is the elimination of state aid or its substantial modification. Efficacious could be the transition from gratuitous aids to such ones that a person would have to work off with a help of public works. Structural concept. Theories of this trend are associated with the presence of poverty with structural peculiarities of the society, which are based on the social stratification, economic inequality, etc. Proponents of this concept of poverty argue that in human and society life there are periods when the probability of poverty rise is very high. For example, such situations occurs when there is a general decline of the economy in the society. At the same time, poverty becomes the result of the inequality of people in society and the unequal distribution of wealth between individuals. To prevent such situations, it is necessary to create a system of social insurance. Within the framework of another concept, the poverty is seen as a consequence of the development of the international economy and structural changes of the global labor market. International corporations are looking for countries and regions with lower labor costs, this leads to the fact that in an effort to attract these investments, many countries artificially restrain wage growth, which leads to a general impoverishment of the population. (Townsend) No matter what causes the primary reasons, it tends to self-replication. The larger the percentage of the population lives below or near the poverty line, the more the countrys chance to get into the "vicious cycle of poverty." After all, if a significant number of the people in the is poor, meaning those who cannot get the goods, it is a result of not enough productive investment, which leads to the inability to develop the economy and improve the wages for workers. At that, in the country, in which much of the population lives in poverty, its much more difficult to break out of poverty. According to experts of the International Labour Organization, poverty arises from the inefficiency of the socio-economic system. Ultimately to eradicate poverty as a social phenomenon is impossible. I.e., even in the most developed countries of the world with the highest quality of life we can see the division of society into "the poor and the rich". One of the main tasks of any state goverment is to reduce the difference between people with a help of social and economic development program and long-term social policy. Some common mechanisms that can affect the level of poverty has already been tested in developed countries. These include well-organized social welfare programs, supported by government policy, actively aimed at reducing unemployment. For example, the governments policy of Margaret Thatcher ws based on the theory that lowering taxes for individuals and corporations will stimulate economic growth, the fruits of which would be reaped by the poor. The last years experience hasnt confirmed this thesis. One or another economic policy can either stimulate or slow down economic development, in any case, the result is growth of disparities between rich and poor, and in such case even the increase of the number of absolute poor can be observed. Some countries - such as Sweden - have ensured that absolute poverty was practically gone. The price that society had to pay for it, includes not only high taxes, but also the expansion of bureaucratic government agencies that have a fair amount of power (Ringen, p. 99-110). Market mechanisms increase wealth inequality. In their turn, the Swedish government tries to provide the optimum conditions for the national economy development. These include export promoting policies, an assistance for the countrys research centers, the conclusion of agreements with other states. It can be concluded that, in Sweden, there is practically no unemployment, so that the question of social inequality is not as acute as in many other countries. (Ringen, p. 110-113) In conclusion we should mention that poverty as a socio-cultural phenomenon is present in every society and the reasons for this lie not only in the plane of the economy or culture, but are a combination of many different factors and phenomena. Having considered the above examples, we can conclude, that even in conditions of an active policy aimed at fighting poverty, to entirely eradicate this phenomenon is not possible. References Anthony Heath. Social Mobility. London, 1981 Hanbook for Sociology Theachers / Eds. by R. Goom, P. McNeill. London: Heinemann Educational Books Ltd., 1982. Ringen S. Toward a Third Stage in the Measurement of Poverty // Acta Sociologica. 1985. Vol. 28. No.2. P. 99-113. Townsend P. Poverty in the United Kingdom. Berkeley: University of California, 1979. Read More