What does it mean to be poor-framing differences and implications for development initiatives.
2010
Misturelli, F.
'Poverty' is probably one of the most contested terms within development discourse. Development professionals have, over the years, attempted to capture the essence of what being poor means by applying a number of criteria focusing on economics and monetary factors, by defining basic needs, or concentrating on the capabilities of the poor. Lately, the notion that poverty is multidimensional and therefore cannot be reduced to a sum of lacks, but includes a number of material, social and psychological deprivations, has become widespread. However, using one or another definition is not without implication both for targeting and the solutions proposed. Indeed, the focus on the economic poverty implies a number of actions addressing economic issues, whereas the focus on the multidimensional aspects requires a wider perspective. An important point is to ensure that our notion of poverty corresponds to what poverty means to the poor. Indeed, with the inclusion of the 'voices of the poor', development professionals hoped to obtain a better understanding of the experience of poverty. Nevertheless, despite the efforts, the definition of poverty is still contested. Thus, the objective of the paper is to review the various notions of poverty presented within the development discourse and to discuss their implications for policy initiatives and development interventions.
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