Dimension of poverty in south Asia. Trends of poverty in Bangladesh. Present state of theory in poverty

1. Introduction:
Despite obstacles such as conflict, corruption and high fiscal deficits in some countries, South Asia has
achieved impressive economic growth and poverty reduction in the past decade. If this growth
accelerates to 10 percent a year, the region could see single-digit poverty rates by 2015.
These challenges require increasing investment, productivity, and the quality of labor, while addressing
the problem of lagging regions and poor service delivery. South Asia can also benefit from regional
cooperation in trade, water and energy, among other things.
Definition of poverty:
Poverty is about not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and
shelter. However, poverty is more, much more than just not having enough money. The visible
effects of poverty are Malnutrition , ill health, poor housing conditions, illiteracy and so on.
Poverty is “a condition characterized 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 services” (UN, 1995).
poverty is pronounced deprivation in well-being, and comprises many dimensions. It includes
low incomes and the inability to acquire the basic goods and services necessary for survival with
dignity (IMF, 2005).
The World Bank definition of poverty,“A person is considered poor if his or her income level
falls below some minimum level necessary to meet basic needs. This minimum level is usually
called the “poverty line.” What is necessary to satisfy basic needs varies across time and
societies. Therefore, poverty lines vary in time and place.”
Dimension of poverty in south Asia :
Absolute poverty: ( present in 3rd world)
Absolute poverty refers to the state of severe deprivation of basic human needs, which
commonly includes food , water, sanitation, clothing, shelter, healthcare , education and
information.
The World Bank defined the new international poverty line as $1.25 a day for 2005 .But have
recently been updated to be $1.25 and $2.50 per day.
Extreme poverty :
The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than US$1.25 Purchasing power
parity (PPP) per day.

2. Moderate poverty
Moderate poverty as less than $2 or $5 a day (but note that a person or family with access to
subsistence resources
Chronic Poverty
Chronic poverty is a phenomenon whereby an individual or group is in a state of poverty over
extended period of time.
Relative poverty: ( Absent in 3rd world):
Relative poverty views poverty as socially defined and dependent on social context, Relative
poverty is often considered as an indirect measure of income inequality. Relative poverty is the
"most useful measure for ascertaining poverty rates in wealthy developed nations.
Trends of poverty in Bangladesh:
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics uses two different approaches to measure poverty: the direct
calorie intake (DCI) method, and the cost-of-basic-needs (CBN) method.
The DCI method measures the calorie intake per capita/day, and if this measurement is below
2,122 kcal, it is defined as “absolute poverty." Below 1,805 KCAL/capita/day is defined as
“hardcore poverty.”

3. Trends of poverty in South Asia:
South Asia can dramatically reduce poverty by embracing policies aimed at increasing
investment and productivity, and improving the quality of labor, while addressing pervasive
income inequalities and poor service delivery, according to Economic Growth in South Asia, a
World Bank report.
South Asia’s economic growth in the last five years has been impressive. Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, Maldives and Pakistan have all grown at over 5 percent per year on average, Sri Lanka at
4.7 percent and Nepal at 2.5 percent. In 2003-4, shortly before the Tsunami hit the region, all
countries other than Nepal averaged above 5 percent GDP growth. India, Maldives and Pakistan
performed especially well, averaging GDP growth of nearly 7 percent.
The economic growth of the last decade has contributed to an impressive reduction in poverty.
In Bangladesh, India and Nepal, poverty fell by 9, 10 and 11 percentage points respectively, in
Sri Lanka it fell by 6 percentage points. Only in Pakistan did poverty increase by 8 percentage
points, but that was because Pakistan experienced economic stagnation throughout the 1990s. In
the robust growth of the 1980s, poverty in Pakistan fell by 12 percentage points. Preliminary
estimates based on PSLM 2004-5 survey show a substantial reduction in poverty associated with
the recent rapid growth.

4. Present state of theory in poverty :
Social Darwinian theory of poverty
This is the first theory that emerged within sociology and it tried to explain poverty in terms of
the behaviour and attitudes of the poor themselves. The poor were poor because they did not
work hard, they squandered money on ‘gambling, drinking and unnecessary luxuries and
they had disorder of family life. They had no ambition, no inner call for work, were fatalistic,
and suffered from “an intractable ineducability” as the Brock Committee phrased it .
A more recent proponent of this view has been the US new right. George Gilder,
Murray and Richard Hernstein have argued that the poor are genetically blueprinted to be at the
bottom of the social hierarchy. The poor are poor because they have low IQ and low
mental capacity and biologically destined to be poor.
Culture of poverty
The second theory is the theory of culture of poverty developed by Oscar Lewis. The
culture of poverty is a specific syndrome that grows up in some situations. The poor realize that
they have a marginal position within a highly stratified and individualistic capitalistic society,
which does not offer them any prospect for upward mobility.
In order to survive the poor have to develop their own institutions and agencies because
the larger society tends to ignore and bypass them. Thus the poor come to embody a common set
of values, norms and pattern of behaviour, which is different from the general culture as such.
In short the poor has a way of life – a specific subculture. Lewis found 70 traits that underlay this
subculture.

5. Once the subculture is formed it tends to be perpetuated. It is transmitted from one generation to
another through socialization
Situational Theory of poverty
The situational theory of poverty holds that the poor behave differently because they do not have
the resources and opportunities for adopting the middle class life styles.
The situational theory gives importance to the structural conditions that give rise to poverty, but
it also tends to focus upon the individual responses to the objective situation of poverty. The
situational theory holds that individuals rationally follow a pattern of behaviour, which is
suitable for the objective situation of their life. It has been argued from this perspective that the
poor do not follow middle class values because they know that they cannot achieve it.
Structural theory of poverty
Structural theories of poverty hold that poverty is caused by the structure of the larger
socio-economic order. It is the macro structure of society that produces inequality and
consequently poverty.
The structure of global capitalism, for example, gives rise to inequality and large-scale poverty
all over the world.
Marxism of different varieties has remained a major theoretical perspective for
understanding poverty. Dependency theory, which emerged in Latin America, has been
particularly concerned with third world poverty.
Causes of poverty:
There are many reasons of poverty in South Asia. Now, the reasons that are working effectively
behind the poverty of South are stated below:
1. Rapid growth of population.
2. Corruption of top level personnel of the society.
3. Death of chief wage-earner.
4. Incapability of chief wage- earner through accident, illness, and old age.
5. Chronic irregularity of work.
6. Largeness of family.
7. Low wage.

6. 8. Habits drinking , betting, and gambling .
9. Careless housekeeping for improvident expenditure.
10. Chronic shortage of cash.
11. Absence of food reserves.
12. Natural calamities (river erosion, cyclone, tidal surge, excessive rain).
13. Under developed communications system.
14. Lack of education and skilled labor.
15. Lack of administrative fairness and accountability.
16. Limited access to public services.
17. Lack of mass people's participation in local government etc.
18. High inflation rate.
19. Inadequate employment.
20. Misuse of natural resources.
21. Inequitable distribution of land, income and productive assets.
Poverty reduction strategy :
Government of Bangladesh and Non-Governmental organization ( NGO) have take different
initiatives to reduce poverty in Bangladesh. But poverty reduction reduction rate is very slow in
Bangladesh . China , Latin America and East Asia countries have dramatically improved poverty
situation

7. For governmental initiatives are
1. Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
2. Poverty Reduction Strategic Papers (PRSP)
3. Social Safety -net
4. Food for Works Programme ( FFW)
5. Food for Education
6. Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) Programme

8. 7. Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) Programme
8. Employment Generation Programme for the Ultra –poor
9. Ashrayan (Poverty Alleviation and Rehabilitation) Project
10. Ekti Bari Ekti Khamar (One House, One Farm)
11. Gharey Fera
12. Old age benefit
13. Asrayan fot the homeless and river erosion affected people
14. Allowances for the insolvent freedom fighters
15. Allowances for the widow and destitute divorce
16. Allowances for the lactate mother
17. Different loan programmers to marginal farmers
18. Rural Employment
Program by NGOs
1. Social Mobilization
2. Micro- Finance
3. Health Awarness
4. NGOs has strong network at the grass root level and can easily reach to the poor.
5. Local poor people feel comfortable to communicate with NGOs.
6. NGOs can deliver the micro credit to the real poor.
7. NGOs can easily monitor the progress of the poor.
8. No collateral is required for micro credit.
9. NGOs has great contribution to women empowerment
Conclusion:
❑ The eradication of poverty and inequality and meeting of basic needs are the primary
goals of the government.
❑ The present government of Bangladesh is very much hopeful in achieving the target of
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as the targets of Vision-2021 related to
poverty and inequality.
❑ Although Bangladesh has achieved progress in poverty reduction, there is widespread
poverty at the national and regional levels and there are variations in poverty levels
between rural and urban Bangladesh.
❑ So, NGOs and other welfare organizations must come beside the government to reduce
both rural and urban poverty from the country finding out sources of foreign grants and
aid as well as multidisciplinary action planning.