updating the definitions and methods of measuring poverty更新测量贫困的定义和方法

DEFININGANDMEASURINGPOVERTYCHALLENGESANDOPPORTUNITIESBYJIMMASTERSANDTERESAWICKSTROM,CENTERFORCOMMUNITYFUTURESDRAFT9JULY21,2004TABLEOFCONTENTSAPROJECTOVERVIEW1BDICTIONARYDEFINITIONSOFPOVERTY2CUNITEDSTATESFEDERALDEFINITIONOFPOVERTY5DHOWTHECENSUSBUREAUMEASURESPOVERTY7POVERTYRESEARCH12ESTATEINCOMELEVELSUSEDINTAXCREDITPROGRAMS13FUNITEDSTATESOTHERORGANIZATIONS18GINTERNATIONALORGANIZATIONS19HMEASURINGGLOBALPOVERTY20IINTERNATIONALOTHERNATIONS211AFRICA212CAMBODIA213CANADA214CHINA215ENGLAND226EUROPE227FINLAND228GERMANY2410SHANGHAI3011SOUTHAFRICA3012SPAIN3113SWEDEN3114RUSSIA31ALL31JCOMPARINGTHEELEMENTSOFTHEDIFFERENTAPPROACHES40KPROBLEMSINTHEEXISTINGUSFEDERALDEFINITIONOFPOVERTY41LBIBLIOGRAPHYANDELECTRONICDOCUMENTSERRORBOOKMARKNOTDEFINEDMSTAKEHOLDERSANDEXPERTS48APPENDIXAUNITEDWAYSSTATEOFCARINGINDEX51APROJECTOVERVIEWTHISISASURVEYOFTHEDEFINITIONSANDMEASURESOFPOVERTYINUSEBYVARIOUSORGANIZATIONSANDGOVERNMENTSAROUNDTHEWORLDTHISDOESNOTDESCRIBEEVERYSINGLEONEOFTHEMBECAUSETHISPAPERWOULDBEHUNDREDSOFPAGESLONGINSTEADITDESCRIBESAFEWDEFINITIONSANDLISTSTHESOURCESFORMANYMORE,ANDBEGINSTOCOMPILESOMEOFTHEPROBLEMSWITHTHECURRENTSITUATIONTHEPURPOSEOFTHISBACKGROUNDMATERIALISTOPROVIDETHESOURCEMATERIALTOCREATEAFRAMEWORKTHATSHOWSTHETYPESOFELEMENTSORFACTORSTHATMAKEUPDIFFERENTDEFINITIONS,EGINCOME,ASSETS,GOVERNMENTBENEFITS,SOCIALFACTORS,ETCWEWILLALSOTRYTOMAKEEXPLICITTHEUNDERLYINGASSUMPTIONS,WHICHREQUIRES“UNBUNDLING”THEDEFINITIONSINSOMECASESWERECOGNIZETHATMOSTDEFINITIONSAREBASEDONAPARTICULARCULTURE,ONTHEVALUESOFTHESOCIETYORORGANIZATIONTHATCREATEIT,ONTHEEXTENTTOWHICHADEFINITIONISBASEDONSOCIALSCIENCE,RELIGION,ECONOMICSORSOMEOTHERDISCIPLINE,ANDONTHEPOLITICALCOMPROMISESTHEYREACHEDTOARRIVEATTHEIRDEFINITIONUNLIKECHEMISTRYORASTRONOMYORMICROECONOMICS,THEREISNOSTANDARDIZEDSETOFDEFINITIONSTOUSEASBUILDINGBLOCKSTHEREISJUSTWHATEVERTHEPROMULGATORUSESWEWILLTHENGROUPTHEDEFINITIONSACCORDINGTOTHEAUNDERLYINGASSUMPTIONS,ORBMAJORTHEMESEMPHASIZED,ORCCLUSTERSOFSIMILARFACTORSWEWILLTHENSEEKTOCOMPARETHEDEFINITIONSINTERMSOFTHEFACTORSTHATMAKETHEMUP,ANDCREATEACONSTRUCTTHATREFLECTSTHEMAJORTHEMESWEARENOTTRYINGTOJUDGETHEMASBEING“RIGHT”OR“WRONG”ANDWEARENOTTRYINGTOCONSTRUCTTHEPERFECTDEFINITIONFURTHERMORE,THISISNOTINTENDEDTOBEANEXHAUSTIVEREVIEWWEARENOTTRYINGTOINCLUDEEVERYCITATIONONTHISTOPICTHEREARETHOUSANDSOFTHEMWEARETRYINGTOGETENOUGHOFAPICTURETHATWECANCOMPARETHEAPPLESANDORANGESANDASSESSTHEUTILITYOFTHEDIFFERENTTYPESOFDEFINITIONSWITHREGARDTOTHEPRIMARYPURPOSEOFTHISOVERALLPROJECTTOCREATEA21STCENTURYMODELVIRTUALLYALLTHECONTENTMATERIALISFROMTHEPUBLICATIONSANDWEBSITESASCITED,IEWEHAVEINCLUDEDITEMSFROMTHESOURCESASWRITTENTHEREWEDIDNOEDITINGOFTHISSOURCEMATERIALWEJUSTPUTITINITHINKTHEBENEFITOFTHIS“WEBSEARCH”APPROACHARETHREEFOLDFIRST,THISISWHATOTHERPEOPLESEEWHENTHEYDOWEBSEARCHESSECONDLY,ITISALOTFASTERFORUSTODOTHIRDLY,YOUGETHOTLINKSTOJUMPTOOTHERMATERIALINITIALLYITHOUGHTTHISPAPERWASGOINGTOBEABOUT10PAGES,BUTASTERESAANDIDUGANDDUGWEDISCOVEREDFARMORESOURCESTHANWEHADANTICIPATEDITHINKINTHEFINALVERSIONITMIGHTBEUSEFULFORMETOPUTMYCOMMENTSINADIFFERENTTYPEFACEITWILLBEUSEFULTOREADTHISONACOMPUTERTHATISCONNECTEDTOTHEINTERNETSOTHATASYOUCOMEUPONASOURCEYOUWANTTOLOOKATFURTHERYOUCANCLICKONITHAPPYCLICKINGBDICTIONARYDEFINITIONSOFPOVERTYAFROMWEBSTERSDICTIONARYC/OHTTP/DICTIONARYREFERENCECOM/SEARCH6/2004POVERTYN1THESTATEOFBEINGPOORLACKOFTHEMEANSOFPROVIDINGMATERIALNEEDSORCOMFORTS2DEFICIENCYINAMOUNTSCANTINESS“THEPOVERTYOFFEELINGTHATREDUCEDHERSOUL”SCOTTTUROW3UNPRODUCTIVENESSINFERTILITYTHEPOVERTYOFTHESOIL4RENUNCIATIONMADEBYAMEMBEROFARELIGIOUSORDEROFTHERIGHTTOOWNPROPERTYBMERRIAMWEBSTERUNABRIDGEDSOURCEWEBSTERSREVISEDUNABRIDGEDDICTIONARY,1996,1998MICRA,INCTHEQUALITYORSTATEOFBEINGPOORORINDIGENTWANTORSCARCITYOFMEANSOFSUBSISTENCEINDIGENCENEED“SWATHEDINNUMBLESTPOVERTY”KEBLEANYDEFICIENCYOFELEMENTSORRESOURCESTHATARENEEDEDORDESIRED,ORTHATCONSTITUTERICHNESSAS,POVERTYOFSOILPOVERTYOFTHEBLOODPOVERTYOFIDEASSYNONYMSINDIGENCEPENURYBEGGARYNEEDLACKWANTSCANTINESSSPARINGNESSMEAGERNESSJEJUNENESSUSAGEPOVERTY,INDIGENCE,PAUPERISMPOVERTYISARELATIVETERMWHATISPOVERTYTOAMONARCH,WOULDBECOMPETENCEFORADAYLABORERINDIGENCEIMPLIESEXTREMEDISTRESS,ANDALMOSTABSOLUTEDESTITUTIONPAUPERISMDENOTESENTIREDEPENDENCEUPONPUBLICCHARITY,AND,THEREFORE,OFTENAHOPELESSANDDEGRADEDSTATECANDA2000UPDATEONDEFINITIONSFROMTHEINSTITUTEFORRESEARCHONPOVERTYISAVAILABLEATHTTP/WWWSSCWISCEDU/IRP/FAQS/FAQ7HTMDWWWWIKIPEDIACOMTHEFREE,OPENSOURCERESOURCEPOVERTYISASUBJECTIVEANDCOMPARATIVETERMDESCRIBINGALACKOFSUFFICIENTWEALTHUSUALLYUNDERSTOODASCAPITAL,MONEY,MATERIALGOODS,ORRESOURCESESPECIALLYNATURALRESOURCESTOLIVEWHATISUNDERSTOODINASOCIETYASA“NORMAL“LIFEFORINSTANCE,TOBECAPABLEOFRAISINGAHEALTHYFAMILY,ANDESPECIALLYEDUCATINGCHILDRENANDPARTICIPATINGINSOCIETYAPERSONLIVINGINTHISCONDITIONOFPOVERTYISSAIDTOBEPOORTHEMEANINGOF“SUFFICIENT“VARIESWIDELYACROSSTHEDIFFERENTPOLITICALANDECONOMICAREASOFTHEWORLDDWWWWIKIPEDIACOMMOREPOVERTYISESSENTIALLYTHECOLLECTIVECONDITIONOFPOORPEOPLE,OROFPOORGROUPS,ANDINTHISSENSEENTIRENATIONSTATESARESOMETIMESREGARDEDASPOORTOAVOIDSTIGMATHESEAREUSUALLYCALLEDDEVELOPINGNATIONSPOVERTYISOFTEN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