In this blog, I tried putting my views over the relationship between Poverty and Inequality
Question?
Are they same?
Is poverty a consequence of inequality?
Is inequality a consequence of poverty?
Will development help to remove them?
Or removing them will lead to development
Is this a dilema where an economy should look upon?
Development
Development is a multi dimensional concept which involves an overall growth of the social, cultural, economical and political sectors of the economy through which the quality of life of nation, communities or individual would be improved.
Talking about development, the Capability approach of Amartya Sen plays an important role. Here he talks about development to be referred through a person (not an economy) reflecting a progress (not in terms of income or availabitlity of resources) but in terms of capabilities and freedoms. Technically a development which ensures that opportunities are available to each person.
Also, a development which ensures that every section of the society is benefitted. This doesn't mean, the development to be equal because an equal development defines a process where there is inequality in terms of yield distribution. A rich person may get affected negatively while distributing resources and income equally. It should be kept in mind that while expanding the capabilities of some persons, the freedom of any other person should not be impacted negatively.
Poverty
A poor lacks not only income but also education, health, justice, credit and opportunitues. Thus poverty is not only about a person being under a defined Below Poverty Line. Poverty is a DEPRIVATION of capabilities which limits freedom to achieve something. A multi dimensional approach to poverty describes that poverty is capability failure where the people lack the capability to enjoy key 'beings and doings' that are basic to human life.
Inequality
Inequality is not only in terms of unequal distribution of income but also access to resources and services, access to personal liberty and dignity. The goal while tackling this issue should not be focused only to ensure equal distribution of income but to equalise the opportunities people have to practice their freedoms and not the outcomes people obtain.
Now the question arises what are the causes of inequality and poverty. Are they linked directly to each other? A poor lacks education, health, justice because of the unequal distribution of income and access to resources. A person lacks equal opportunities to education and health, liberty and dignity because of poverty. So is income it's all about? Or is it that if the resources and services like education and health are made available to people equally would ensure a rise in their income levels and pull them out of poverty?
Is that a human and economic development would lead to a decline of poverty and inequality OR a removal of poverty and inequality would ensure development? Is this the area where the policy makers are confused? What is the priority?
Inequality can not be only income based, it can be gender based, religion based, caste, creed, colour based. So, inequality does not only leads to poverty but also has various impacts like biaseness, tensions and conflicts, violence etc.
Government is to ensure the well being of every citizen of the country. It is important to ensure that no citizen in the country is deprived of basic necessities of living.
Therefore, the main aim should be the removal of poverty. Subsidies, employment generation programmes, affordable and quality education and health services, reservation, safe environment for living are the programmes which contributes in the removal of poverty. They ensure that the citizens are not deprived of capabilities which limits their freedom of ability to enjoy the beings and doings.
A person ensured employment and pulled out from the circle of poverty is economically empowered and thus less subjugated to social inequalities. Is this enough? Certainly yes certainly not. Inequality in justice, raising, freedom has a strong impact on the person's livelihood. Here, empowerment and awareness plays an important role.
Poverty for me is at individual level and inequality at a community level.
A person deprived from basic necessities loses his/her faith from themselves because of the loss of dignity, trust and livelihood. Thus to strengthen the whole economy, starting from individual level is important. This can be done by incetivising them through employment and financial stableness. And it helps the person to build him/herself strongly. Once the self trust and strength grows, simultaneously the role comes of awareness and empowerment. The community now needs to accept, acknowledge and respect every section of the society and avoid inequalities.
So, this is to be concluded by noting that development, poverty and inequality goes hand to hand. The all three are the consequences and causes of each other.
By starting the process of removing poverty, the issue of inequality is to be addressed and this leads to development. As well as ensuring development both in terms of social and economical would ensure availability of resources to address the issue of poverty and inequality consecutively.
Thank you for reading this blog. In this blog I tried my best to put forward my ideas over poverty and inequality, if you have liked it please do comment down and also if you have some points in your minds clicking over this topic do post them in the comment section.
