The Oxford Handbook of the Social Science of Poverty


Book Description

The Oxford Handbook of the Social Science of Poverty builds a common scholarly ground in the study of poverty by bringing together an international, inter-disciplinary group of scholars to provide their perspectives on the issue. Contributors engage in discussions about the leading theories and conceptual debates regarding poverty, the most salient topics in poverty research, and the far-reaching consequences of poverty on the individual and societal level.




Dynamics of Difference


Book Description

This original conceptualization provides insights into the role of inequality in the processes of change in rural India. It presents in-depth analyses and understanding of the nature and form of inequality, and its causes and consequences. The volume examines interpersonal, intergroup, and intrapersonal inequalities in the country’s rural transformation. Through research based on ethnographic, primary survey and secondary data methods, this multidimensional study discusses key themes such as normative and descriptive inequalities; class, caste and other identities; economic poverty; educational poverty; poverty in health; gendered poverty; inequality and power; the impact of migration; ethical issues and vulnerabilities; and suicidal consequences of inequality. It builds cohesive arguments, based on the development of several new indicators, to examine rural inequality. This book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of political economy, economics, development studies, development economics, sociology, public policy, political science, political sociology, and rural sociology.




Climbing up the ladder and watching out for the fall: Poverty dynamics in rural Bangladesh


Book Description

This paper analyzes poverty dynamics in rural Bangladesh using a nationally representative panel dataset of 5,260 rural households interviewed in 2011/12 and 2015. We find that education, savings, assets, non-farm employment, substantial safety net transfers, and women’s empowerment are key factors in breaking persistent poverty; and savings, non-farm engagement, and substantial safety net transfers prevent households from falling into poverty. The results are consistent across multinomial logit, logit, and simultaneous quantile regression models. Thus, policies and programs that address the determinants of persistent and transient poverty identified in this study hold promise for sustained poverty reduction in rural Bangladesh.




Poverty, Chronic Poverty and Poverty Dynamics


Book Description

This book discusses critical policy issues that need to be addressed if India wishes to achieve the SDG 1 based elusive goal of ending poverty in the country. In its nine chapters, it takes the readers through trends and estimates of poverty in India, explains changes in the way it has been measured over time and the factors that lead to persistence of poverty, draws attention to the fact that hunger is both a cause and an effect of poverty and has gender and age dimensions too. The book revisits strategies that were successful in addressing poverty emanating from situations of conflict, presents a discussion on migration as a critical coping mechanism among poor, analyses the links between ill health and poverty as well as education and poverty to draw attention to the policy imperatives that need attention. India’s report card on poverty remains dismal even though there is recognition of the importance of reducing or eliminating or ending it at both national and global levels. Despite rapid economic growth and improvement on a range of development indicators, an unacceptably high proportion of India’s population continues to suffer poverty in multiple dimensions. SDG 1 or “ending poverty in all its forms everywhere” cannot be achieved unless policies and poverty alleviation programmes understand and address chronic poverty and its dynamics. This requires that we estimate and understand the extent of poverty, the factors that lead to people getting stuck in it and the ways this can be addressed. It also requires understanding the dynamic nature of poverty or the fact that many of those who are poor are able to move out of poverty as well as the fact that many others who are not poor become impoverished. These are the issues that are comprehensively examined and addressed in this book. In addition to students, teachers and researchers in the areas of development, economic growth, equity and welfare, the book is also of great interest to policy makers, planners and non‐government agencies who are concerned with understanding and addressing poverty-related issues in the developing countries.







Internal Migration, Urbanization and Poverty in Asia: Dynamics and Interrelationships


Book Description

This book is Open Access under a CC BY license. This volume offers an essential resource for economic policymakers as well as students of development economics focusing on the interrelationships of migration, urbanization and poverty in Asia. The continent’s recent demographic transitions and rural-urban structural transformations are extraordinary, and involve complexities that require in-depth study. The chapters within this volume examine those complexities using a range of traditional and non-traditional measures, such as multidimensional poverty, gaps and polarization, to arrive at the conclusion that poverty is now an urban issue. In short, the book will help students of development economics and policymakers understand the interrelationships between internal migration, urbanization and poverty, paving the way for the improved management of internal migration and disadvantaged and vulnerable populations.




Agricultural Policies for Poverty Reduction


Book Description

This volume sets out a strategy for raising rural incomes which emphasises the creation of diversified rural economies with opportunities within and outside agriculture.




Rural Poverty in Developing Countries


Book Description

Reviews causes of poverty in rural areas and presents a policy framework for reducing rural poverty, including through land reform, public works programs, access to credit, physical and social infrastructure, subsidies, and transfer of technology. Identifies key elements for drafting a policy to reduce rural poverty.




Demanding Development


Book Description

Explains the uneven success of India's slum dwellers in demanding and securing essential public services from the state.




Marginality


Book Description

This book takes a new approach on understanding causes of extreme poverty and promising actions to address it. Its focus is on marginality being a root cause of poverty and deprivation. “Marginality” is the position of people on the edge, preventing their access to resources, freedom of choices, and the development of capabilities. The book is research based with original empirical analyses at local, national, and local scales; book contributors are leaders in their fields and have backgrounds in different disciplines. An important message of the book is that economic and ecological approaches and institutional innovations need to be integrated to overcome marginality. The book will be a valuable source for development scholars and students, actors that design public policies, and for social innovators in the private sector and non-governmental organizations.​