What are some of the drawbacks of using the poverty line concept to identify the poor? Discuss.
What are some of the drawbacks of using the poverty line concept to identify the poor? Discuss.
The drawbacks of the poverty line concept are the following:
1. The method does not differentiate between the very poor and the other poor, i.e. it does not consider relative poverty. There is a single poverty line that only distinguishes the poor from the non-poor.
2. There are many factors, other than income and assets, which are associated with poverty, like accessibility to basic education, health care, drinking water etc. These are, howveer, ignored by most poverty committees.
3. The method neglects the social aspects of poverty like vulnerability, lack of respect and dignity, and social exclusion. Income alone is not the best indicator of poverty- it is simply the first step to identify the poor.
The drawbacks of the poverty line concept are the following:
1. The method does not differentiate between the very poor and the other poor, i.e. it does not consider relative poverty. There is a single poverty line that only distinguishes the poor from the non-poor.
2. There are many factors, other than income and assets, which are associated with poverty, like accessibility to basic education, health care, drinking water etc. These are, howveer, ignored by most poverty committees.
3. The method neglects the social aspects of poverty like vulnerability, lack of respect and dignity, and social exclusion. Income alone is not the best indicator of poverty- it is simply the first step to identify the poor.
