Keywords

General description

The course explores the nature of poverty from many angles. Extreme poverty and hunger are investigated as chronic problem and as a fatal outcome of various crises. Global and local inequalities of wealth, and their determinants, will be explored. Finally, both top-down policies and bottom-up initiatives that reduce poverty are studied. The section on action investigates social protection floor framework, various cash transfer programmes, and microfinance as ways to alleviate poverty.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of the course, the students will
- be able to appraise the key economic theories and ideologies in relation to poverty
- be able to analyze different levels of poverty
- have skills to critically assess major politics and key policies related to poverty that have global relevance
- comprehend main conditions (e.g. crises, conflicts, and risks,) that shape the nature of poverty
- be able to argue how poverty is linked to health and education
- identify how poverty can be measured and documented
- be able to write a critical and well-focused essay on poverty

Contents

- Key concepts and main theories and ideologies related to poverty
- Absolute poverty: Hunger
- Relative poverty: Inequalities
- Conditions related to poverty: Crisis, employment, health, education
- Global governance and poverty
- Policies (top down): Social security: social protection floors
- Policies (bottom up): Cash transfer and microfinance
- Measuring and documenting poverty

Evaluation

Belongs to following study modules

2018–2019

Teaching

Archived Teaching Schedule. Please refer to current Teaching Shedule.

PGHAS07 Poverty in the world: Hunger, inequalities and action