1.In defining poverty, it becomes important to distinguish between relative and absolute poverty.
- With examples demonstrate what is meant by the term absolute poverty as distinct from relative poverty.
- With examples demonstrate what is meant by the term relative poverty as distinct from absolute poverty.
- Poverty is not only a national phenomenon but also an international issue, present a picture of the global dimension of poverty.
There are two federal policy measures of poverty: (1) The Poverty Threshold and (2) The Poverty Guidelines.
- What is the Poverty Threshold? Use examples to support your response.
- What is the Poverty Guideline? Use examples to support your response.
- Using the Poverty Guidelines for the years 2017, 2019 and 2020 how much should be a family of four earn to be considered poor by the federal government.
- Discuss what some analysts see as the shortcomings of the federal policy measures of poverty.
The causes of poverty have always generated a debate. Broadly speaking, we have two schools of thought. What we may loosely term the individual (conservative) and structural (liberal) schools of thought.
- With examples discuss how the Conservative school explain why some people are poor in society. Do you find their explanation persuasive?
- With examples discuss how the Structuralist school explains why some people are poor in society. Do you find their explanation persuasive?
- Critically discuss the functionalist view or theory on the causes of poverty.
- Critically discuss the Conflict view or theory on the causes of poverty.
- Critically discuss the Feminist theory or view on the causes of poverty.
- Critically discuss the Interactionist view or theory on the causes of poverty.
