Absolute and relative poverty (economics)

Cours d'anglais, niveau Bac+4; sur la pauvreté en économie - Absolute and relative poverty (economics)

Extrait:

In general, everybody agrees that poverty indicates a shortage of some sort. Although, not all shortages can be equated with poverty. In the 18th century, poverty was considered inevitable and even a necessary fact of life. Thomas Malthus[1] (1766-1834) considered that it was natural to control the growth of the population be it by starvation[2], because if help was given to the poor[3], they would have more children and they would beget[4] too many mouths to feed. Population, he said, increases in a geometrical ratio whereas subsistence increases in an arithmetical ratio. [...]

Intro:

In general, everybody agrees that poverty indicates a shortage of some sort. Although, not all shortages can be equated with poverty. In the 18th century, poverty was considered inevitable and even a necessary fact of life. Thomas Malthus[1] (1766-1834) considered that it was natural to control the growth of the population be it by starvation[2], because if help was given to the poor[3], they would have more children and they would beget[4] too many mouths to feed. Population, he said, increases in a geometrical ratio whereas subsistence increases in an arithmetical ratio.
More recently, poverty has been seen not as a fatality but as something that should be eliminated. Something should be done about it anyway[...]

Plan:

• Poverty
• Absolute poverty
• Relative poverty