Poverty: A Major Global Concern
Poverty is a major global concern. Being poor entails the inability to access one’s basic needs. The phenomenon also reflects poor standards of living which prevents an individual from acquiring the resources needed to survive. Mainly, poverty is often viewed from an economic lens. Based on such scope, poverty is considered to be a culmination of factors such as lack of education, poor state economic policies, epidemics such as AIDS and adverse weather conditions. Despite the dominance of economic lens in explaining the concept of poverty, sociological theories can be used to explain the manifestation of poverty in the society. This paper seeks to examine the sociological perspectives and how they relate to the concept of global poverty. Some of the topics that will be covered in the analysis include the definition of global poverty, the examination of cultural relativism and ethnocentrism, assessment of the main sociological theories, and their relatedness to the concept of global poverty. Mainly, the paper will seek to examine the sociological scope in defining global poverty.
Global Poverty
Global poverty reflects on poverty that is manifested in different parts of the world. The term assumes a global outlook on the manifestation of poverty. According to McComb, global poverty refers to the inability of people in different regions of the world to acquire a socially acceptable financial and material possessions. In his article Talking about Poverty: What is the Definition of Global Poverty, McComb contends that there are over 1.1 billion individuals in developing nations. Such statistics offer insight on the prevalence of poverty across the world. Global poverty mainly affects women, children and the elderly. Such trends are a culmination of the inefficient policies in developing countries which fail to secure and streamline the interests of minority and vulnerable groups in the society. According to Batana, Bussolo and Cockburn 222% of the population in developing countries were living below the $1.25 per day mark in 2008 (405). In an ideal economy, the rates should be lower than 22%. The study argues that global poverty is exacerbated by the vulnerability of groups in the community such as children (Batana, Bussolo and Cockburn 407). The other identified vulnerable group in the inquiry was identified to be the elderly in the society.
Mainly, poverty affects individuals who are unable to fend for themselves economically. Such concern is also reflected in the study Poor countries or poor people? Development assistance and the new geography of global poverty. Published in 2012, the study contends that there has been a shift in the global poverty patterns in recent years. The increase in vulnerable groups in middle-income countries presents a significant challenge to the realization of complete eradication of global poverty (687). Increased rates of global poverty may have detrimental effects on the mental and physical health of the victims. Lipina and Posner suggest that the brain tends to be underdeveloped when an individual is exposed to poverty from an early age (238). Such an impediment portends a danger to the realization of educational and developmental goals.
Cultural Relativism and Ethnocentrism
Cultural relativism can be used to explain the concept of poverty in the society. Essentially, the term reflects the idea that a people’s culture should be understood from the perspective of the subject culture. The theory assumes that the understanding of another culture demands the integration of values that are promoted in the subject culture. Cultural relativism assumes that poverty is a socially-fueled phenomenon. Thus, values within a given culture have the potential to determine the prevalence of poverty among adherents. Individuals tend to try to make sense of their environment by inclining themselves to specific beliefs that address their internal conflicts. For instance, the belief that poverty is better than riches because it brings peace, prevents victims of the circumstance from trying to improve their material wellbeing. Such individuals tend to commit little effort and time towards improving their material possessions.
Ethnocentrism can also be used to explain the prevalence of poverty in the society. Essentially, most of the communities in the West tend to distance themselves from the poverty that afflicts individuals in 3rd world countries. Ethnocentrism is manifested when an individual believes that their ethnic community is superior to that of the next community. Ethnocentrism in Western countries hinders the willingness to help the poor in countries that are considered to be inferior to the former countries. For instance, while there is a pervasive view that poverty reflects a lack of resources, in certain communities such discrepancy provides the norm. There is a need to understand poverty from the viewpoint of the affected community.
My view regarding poverty is different from the views projected by some individuals in developing countries. In such communities, wealth is often associated with evil. However, I believe that wealth and godliness complement each other. Subsequently, I have no reservation about collecting material possessions. Additionally, my social experiences shaped me to be independent and selfish regarding my goals and ambitions. Subsequently, I am less inclined to address the next person’s privations. However, in many developing countries, kinship still forms an important part of the communities. Subsequently, these communities share properties which promote recurring poverty over several generations.
Main Sociological Theories
There are three main sociological perspectives. The functionalist perspective was inspired by Herbert Spencer. The theory views the society as a networked concept. Thus, society is considered to be interconnected. According to the theory, harmony in the society is enabled by the positive interactions that exist between the different arms of the involved community. The different elements in the society are projected to be functional if they promote the stability of the individuals in the subject community. The same elements are considered to be dysfunctional if they promote instability.
The conflict perspective assumes that elements in the community compete against each other for limited resources. Thus, the sustenance of the community depends on the competing forces within the involved society. According to the perspective, the society will always be divided into the "haves" and "have-nots". The latter group tends to be allowed access to unlimited resources while the former group consists of individuals who have limited access to resources.
Lastly, the symbolic interactionist perspective seeks to understand the individual psychological influences which govern interactions in the society. The theory concludes that human identity is shaped by their understanding of their environment. An idea of the self is shaped through the observation of interactions in the immediate environment. Therefore, people tend to determine an individual’s identity in the symbolic interactionist perspective.
Application of Theories to Global Poverty
The symbolic interactionist and conflict perspectives can be used to explain the prevalence of global poverty in today’s society. According to the symbolic interactionist theory, poverty can be viewed as a phenomenon that is transmitted psychologically through different generations. Therefore, children tend to act according to their parents and immediate community. If an individual is raised in a poor community, they tend to be less likely to break out of the retrogressive circle. They assume the priorities that their peers assume and are thus subject to similar outcomes. In this manner, poverty is perpetuated through generations.
Unlike the symbolic interactionist theory, the conflict theory reflects on the wealthy individual’s commitment to undermining the efforts of the poor. The "haves" tend to control aspects such as the economy, state, and education. They use these tools to undermine the efforts of the poor, who are trying to break out of poverty (Shildrick 3). The "have-nots", who are in this case the poor, are rendered without means to defend themselves against imposition by the "haves". In the end, wealth will always be the property of the "haves" while the "have-nots" languish in poverty.
Conclusion
Global poverty is a significant impediment in today’s society. The term reflects on the lack of resources and financial means among certain segments of individuals in the community. Cultural relativism and ethnocentrism can be invoked to explain the prevalence of global poverty in today’s society. Alternatively, the three main sociological perspectives, symbolic interactionism, conflict, and functionalist perspectives, explain the origins of poverty. Such insights enable the realization of efficient solutions to the global poverty menace.
Works Cited
Bussolo, Maurizio, Yele Batana, and John Cockburn. Global extreme poverty rates for children, adults and the elderly”. Economics Letters, vol. 120, 2013, pp. 405-407.
Kanbur, Ravi, and Andy Sumner. "Poor countries or poor people? Development assistance and the new geography of global poverty”. Journal of International Development, vol. 24. No. 6, 2012, pp. 686-695.
Lipina, Sebastián J., and Michael I. Posner. "The impact of poverty on the development of brain networks". Frontiers in human neuroscience, vol. 6, 2012, p. 238.
McComb, Bayley. “Talking About Poverty: What is the Definition of Global Poverty?” The Borgen Project, 2016. https://borgenproject.org/definition-of-global-poverty/. Accessed April 18, 2018.
Shildrick, Tracy. Sociological Perspectives on Poverty: Summary. Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2015.
