Colegio San Agustin Makati

Academic Year 2019-2020

Senior High School
Humanities and Social Sciences
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, SOLIDARITY and CITIZENSHIP
HANDOUT – DEFINTION AND APPROACHES IN UNDERSTANDING POVERTY

Poverty – The United Nations (2001) defines poverty as “a human condition characterized by the sustained or chronic
deprivation of the resources, capabilities, choices, security, and power necessary or the enjoyment of an adequate
standard of living and other civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights. Such definition encompasses four major
approaches in understanding poverty, namely: subsistence minimum, capability, social exclusion and multidimensional.

1. Subsistence Minimum – Poverty ere is seen either as income poverty or consumption poverty. Both refer to a
shortfall in income and consumption from some poverty line or subsistence minimum, which results to a lack of
or low quality access to social services (e.g., health, education livelihood) and to the acquisition material assets
such as food, shelter, clothing, furniture, personal means of transport, and the like (Chambers 2006, Laderchi,
Saith, and Stewart 2006).

For example, the World Bank considers people living a less than 1$ a day as poor. In the Philippines, as of 2012, a
Filipino family of five whose monthly income falls short of P5 458 is considered poor.

2. Capability – Poverty here is seen as absence or inadequate realization of certain basic freedoms, or as what
Amartya Sen (1989) coins as “capability deprivation.”
Basic Freedom
Political Freedom – right to participate in community life and enjoy democracy
Economic Freedom – right to access social services and products so people can enjoy a decent standard
of living.

Seen from this viewpoint, people living in poverty experience capability deprivation (eg., illiteracy, ill health,
and lack of command over resources), which restrict their choices. They also experience social and political
oppression that restrict individual or collective participation in community life, or the exercise of autonomy in
making decision about one’s own life.

3. Social Exclusion – In this perspective poverty is seen as denial of human rights and as the condition in which
various international human rights convention are not fulfilled and states are not held accountable in
safeguarding the rights of their citizens (UNRISD 2010). Denial of human rights is seen in the process of
marginalization and deprivation, which are allowed to arise and persist. Social exclusion is further explained in
the subsection and unjust forms of social inequalities.

4. Multidimensional – Poverty, in this viewpoint is seen to be made up of several factors that constitute poor
people’s experience of deprivation such as poor health (indicated by poor nutrition and high mortality rate); lack
of education (indicated by illiteracy, low years of schooling, and low school enrolment); and inadequate living
standard (such as lack of income, disempowerment, poor quality of work, and threats from violence (Chambers
2006, UNRISD 2010).

This handout was prepare for COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, SOLIDARITY and CITIZENSHIP class only. The class don’t claim any ownership or authorship to the
information/data/articles mentioned in this handout.