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What does poverty mean in our world? I would think the poorest person in any western nation has more money and access to more resources than pretty much anyone
by yters 7y ago
What does poverty mean in our world? I would think the poorest person in any western nation has more money and access to more resources than pretty much anyone in prior history. Also goes for many developing nations, too. Is there something else going on with poverty besides only amount of money on hand?
- zozbot234 7y agoRelative poverty is really a proxy for social exclusion/marginalization. You don't solve "poverty" by giving people more money, you solve it by strenghtening local communities, building solid institutions and enhancing social capital. This is the best foundation for solid middle-class values, which in turn are the catalyst for self-sustaining growth in incomes. (Of course meaning "poverty" in this relative sense, as opposed to the very real material deprivation that's common in least-developed countries, which often is addressed to a surprising extent simply by providing more financial capital.)
- asdff 7y agoWhat does this mean in practice? In Los Angeles, local communities are some of the strongest in the world. No one would say that poverty is solved, this city is known as the city of the working poor.
- imtringued 7y agoIt may sound obvious but why not build a second Los Angeles?
- yters 7y agoDo they have stable, two parent families? That seems to be one of the most significant pillars of functioning society.
- asdff 7y agoWell, there are about 60,000 people in LA county who can answer that question for you, and probably another half a million who are a couple hundred dollars or less away from reckoning with the harsh truths about that question.