Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Social Work Practice &
Poverty I
Dimensions & Measurements
Name: Prof. Esme Manful
Department: Sociology & Social Work
Faculty & College: FoSS/CoHSS
SOWK 259
10/02/26
Expected Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lecture the student should be able
to:
a) Explain the dimensions of poverty
b) Identify the characteristics of the poor
c) Differentiate between narrow and broad
definitions of poverty.
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“The real objective of development
is to increase people’s choices”.
(Human Development Report, 1991)
Whereas
‘poverty is the inability to obtain or realize choices
and opportunities; it is a violation of human dignity’.
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What is Poverty?
‘Poverty is a state or condition in which
a person or community lacks the
financial resources and essentials for a
minimum standard of living’.
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Causes of Poverty
• Structural factors: inequality, weak institutions,
corruption, poor governance.
• Economic factors: unemployment, low wages,
inflation, lack of access to credit.
• Social factors: discrimination, lack of education,
gender inequality.
• Geopolitical factors: conflict, displacement, climate
change.
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Poverty means:
i. a lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in
society
ii. not having enough to feed and clothe a family,
iii. not having a school or health clinic to go to, not
having land on which to grow one’s food or
iv. a job to earn one’s living, not having access to credit.
v. insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals,
households, and communities.
vi. susceptibility to violence, and
vii. it often implies living in marginal or fragile
environments, without access to clean water or
sanitation (United Nations Economic and Social Council,
1998).
Characteristics of the Poor
Poverty entails living in a state of either:
• material deprivation - lack of income, resources and
assets.
• physical weakness - malnutrition, sickness, disability,
lack of strength.
• isolation - illiteracy, lack of access to education and
resources, peripheral locations, marginalization and
discrimination.
• vulnerability - to contingencies which increase
poverty (e.g. war, climatic changes, seasonal
fluctuations, disability).
• powerlessness - the inability to avoid poverty or
change the situation.
Measurement of Poverty
The rationale for measuring poverty is to:
1. keep the poor on the agenda; if poverty were
not measured, it would be easy to forget the
poor
2. be able to identify the poor if one is to be able
to target interventions that aim to reduce or
alleviate poverty
3. learn which poverty reduction strategies
work, and which ones do not
4. helps countries gauge programme
effectiveness and guide their development
strategy in a rapidly changing economic
environment.
Narrow Measurement of Poverty
Measurement based on income or
consumption values.
Income refers to the amount of money
someone makes, while
Consumption refers to the monetary value of
the goods that person actually consumes.
Two main statistical definitions
A. Absolute poverty
B. Relative poverty
Absolute Poverty
• Absolute poverty refers to a condition where a
person does not have the minimum amount of
income needed to meet the minimum requirements
for one or more basic living needs over an extended
period of time. Including things such as:
– Food
– Safe drinking water
– Sanitation facilities
– Health
– Shelter
– Education
– Information
Measurement of Absolute poverty
• Absolute poverty measures a defined poverty
line at a certain income amount or consumption
amount per year, based on the estimated value
of a ‘basket of goods’ (food, shelter, water, etc.)
necessary for proper living.
Poverty Line
• The most commonly used definition of global
poverty is the absolute poverty line set by the
World Bank.
• This line was first created in 1990 when the World
Bank published its World Development Report and
found that most developing countries set their
poverty lines at $1 a day.
• World Bank in 2011 set extreme poverty at an
income of less than $1.90 a day.
• World Bank in 2022 set extreme poverty at an
income of less than $2.15 a day.
Ghana’s population below the poverty line
Year %
1992 51.7
1998 39.5
2007 28.5
2013 24.2
2017 23.4
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Criticism of Absolute Poverty
I. The concept of absolute poverty is not
concerned with broader quality of
life issues or with the overall level of
inequality in society.
II. The concept therefore fails to recognise
that individuals have important social and
cultural needs.
Relative Poverty Definition
• Relative poverty defines poverty in relation to
the economic status of other members of the
society: people are poor if they fall below
prevailing standards of living in a given societal
context.
• Relative poverty also changes over time. As the
wealth of a society increases, so does the
amount of income and resources that the society
deems necessary for proper conditions of living.
Measurement of Relative poverty
Relative poverty measures poverty
by ranking the entire populations’
per capita income.
The bottom 10% (or whatever
percentage the government
chooses to use) is then considered
‘poor’ or ‘impoverished.’
Causes of Relative Poverty
• Unemployment: This lack of employment increases
your chances of living in poverty.
• Education: The less education you have, the higher
your chances of being unemployed, which in turn
increases the likelihood that you will live in poverty.
• Poor health: People living in poverty suffer greater
levels of physical and mental illness than those who do
not.
• Lack of Access to Affordable Services: Without access
to affordable services, some people will not be able to
fully participate in social, academic and occupational
activities. This in turn can lead to poverty.
Criticism of Relative poverty
1. Fails to recognise income and/or
consumption differences in society.
2. Similar to absolute poverty measurement
it is concerned with economic indicators
i.e. income and consumption, ignoring
social and cultural causes of poverty.
Broad Definition of Poverty
‘the structural exclusion of citizens from all
social participation, along with a situation of
dependence in relation to the State.’ (Cantillon
et al. 1998: 19)
‘lack of voice, respect and self-esteem,
isolation and humiliation’ (Galloway, 2002)
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Broad Definition of Poverty cont.
At the 1995 UN’s World Summit on Social
Development, the ‘Copenhagen Declaration’
described poverty as:
“…a condition characterised by severe deprivation of
basic human needs, including food, safe drinking
water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education
and information. It depends not only on income but
also on access to social services.”
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Multi-dimensions of Poverty
• A multidimensional approach moves away from the
traditional unidimensional approach in particular a
monetary dimension
• The difficulties in using a single dimension such as
income include:
– extent to which income can translate into utility
universally;
– the heterogeneity of people and contexts in
converting income to utility;
– the role and contribution of the public sector;
– political limitations
Multi-dimensions of Poverty cont.
• A multidimensional measure incorporates a
range of indicators to capture the complexity
of poverty and better inform policies to
relieve it. Such as:
– poor health,
– lack of education,
– inadequate living standard,
– disempowerment,
– poor quality of work and
– threat from violence.
Why use a multidimensional approach?
I. Income alone can miss a lot
II. Poor people themselves describe their
experience of poverty as multidimensional
III. The more policy-relevant information there
is available on poverty, the better-equipped
policy makers will be to reduce it.
“New Poor"
The "new poor" probably will:
i. Be more urban than rural
dwellers.
ii. Be more engaged in informal
services and manufacturing and
less in agriculture.
iii. Above 40 years skilled but
underemployed.
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Bibliography
• Adler, Matthew D. (2013)Equity by the Numbers: Measuring Poverty, Inequality,
and Injustice. Available at SSRN: [Link]
• Encyclopædia Britannica. (2013) “Poverty." Encyclopædia Britannica Online
Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
[Link]
• Human Development Report (2013). The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a
Diverse World [[Link]
• GSS (2013). Non-Monetary Poverty in Ghana. Accra: GSS
[[Link]
Monetary%20Poverty%20in%20Ghana%20(24-10-13).pdf]
• World Bank.(2024) Ghana Poverty and Equity Brief : October 2024 (English). Poverty
and Equity Brief Washington, D.C. : World Bank
Group. [Link]
• Molini, Vasco & Paci, Pierella (2015). Poverty Reduction in Ghana : Progress and
Challenges. World Bank, Washington, DC. [Assessed October 2, 2017 from
[Link]