Studies On Poverty Economics

In the economic development of the present world, poverty remains a grave problem which disturbs social development. A large poor population can be found in not only the developing countries and regions where it will increase but also in the economically developed European and American countries. Anti-poverty is a significant strategic decision for various countries to enhance their economic development. China, a developing country, is confronted with poverty inevitably in the course of its economic development, especially during the period of system transition. Moreover, during a particular phase, dual-poverty, the co-existence of the poor population in both the rural areas and urban areas, will arise. One underlying cause of this phenomenon is that a large unemployment population emerges as a result of the transition of the running mechanism in the state-owned enterprises. In view of all these, the problem of poverty is also a serious problem that confronts the building a well-ff society .The study of poverty will be of national significance and also world-wide significance. This thesis will explore the problem in developed countries vertically and the problem in developing countries and China horizontally. In the paper the basic principles of Development Economics and Institutional Economics will be employed comprehensively. The main content falls into three parts:1. The definition of poverty. This thesis views that the insufficiency of the traditional definition lies in two aspects. One aspect is that it overemphasizes material poverty while overlooks the basic spiritual poverty. The other is that it explores the problem within a certain economic framework of a society, overemphasizing non-institutional factors while neglecting institutional factors. According to this thesis, poverty refers to a living state under which the normal material and spiritual needs of an individual or a family can't be met as a result of both institutional factors and non-institutional factors.2. The basic theories and strategies for anti-poverty. Owing to the ongoing deep understanding poverty problem, the establishment of the anti-poverty mode has been adjusted from a one-dimensional mode to a multi-dimensional one. That is to transform from merely stressing on the input of material capital to improve the structure transition and human capital's formation, and to set up a comprehensive and multi-dimensional anti-poverty strategy, which results from economy, politics and culture in the end.There is no doubt that developing and developed countries are all disturbed by poverty. However, the problems remain different in its nature and type. Poverty in developed countries is mainly a relative one. Those factors leading to poverty are mainly individual. The target of anti-poverty campaign is mainly against poor population. While in developing countries, poverty is mainly featured by absolute poverty. The factors can be found in their geography, history, society, politics and the negative aspects of their cultures. But as far as its nature is concerned, the low level productivity and unfair distribution of income are the main causes. The target of anti-poverty campaign aims mainly at poor areas.3. Poverty in China. Poverty in China is an economic concept, which carries heavy political connotation. The subject of poverty is poor population while the object is poor areas. As for its characteristics, it is regional, ethic, stratum and institutional from a macroscopic view; from a meso-scopic view, it is featured by the adverse ecological environment, the frail infrastructure, the low-level and unitary economic structure, the low-level cultural life and the natural, semi-natured and planned economy; from a microscopic view, it's featured by possessing capital, especially human capital's insufficiency and inability. A correct definition of the types of poverty is the key point to improve the efficiency of anti-poverty campaign in China. Poverty in China can be classified into institutional poverty and non- institutional pover...