Chapter 15: Problem 16

What is the difference between poverty and income inequality?

Short Answer

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Poverty and income inequality are related but distinct concepts. Poverty refers to a state where a person or household lacks access to resources essential for basic living standards, such as money, food, education, and healthcare. It can be measured in absolute or relative terms. Income inequality, on the other hand, describes the uneven distribution of income across a population, often measured by the Gini coefficient. While poverty is a direct measure of individuals' well-being, income inequality is a relative measure of earnings disparities in a society. It is possible for a society to have low poverty levels but high income inequality, indicating that most people have enough income to meet basic needs while significant disparities exist between the rich and the poor.

Step by step solution

Defining Poverty

Poverty refers to a state or condition where a person or a household lacks access to resources, such as money, food, education, and healthcare, which are vital for basic living standards. Absolute poverty occurs when individuals or households live on less than a certain amount of money per day, typically defined by the World Bank as less than $1.90 per day (as of October 2021). Relative poverty, on the other hand, is a measure of income inequality whereby individuals or households are identified as poor because they have less than a certain share of the total income of the population, often set to 50% or 60% of the median income.

Defining Income Inequality

Income inequality refers to the uneven distribution of income across different individuals or households within a society or country. It is often measured by the Gini coefficient, which ranges from 0 to 1, with 0 representing perfect equality (everyone has the same income) and 1 representing perfect inequality (one person has all the income while others have none).

Differences between Poverty and Income Inequality

Poverty focuses on the lack of resources needed to maintain basic living conditions, while income inequality is about the distribution of income across a whole population. Poverty is a direct measure of individuals' well-being, whereas income inequality is a relative measure of earnings disparities in a society.

Example of Poverty and Income Inequality Coexisting

A society can have a low level of poverty but a high level of income inequality. For instance, imagine a country where most people have enough income to maintain basic standards of living but there is still a large income gap between the poor and the rich. In this case, absolute poverty would be low, but income inequality (measured by the Gini coefficient) would be high. In conclusion, poverty and income inequality are related but distinct concepts. While poverty refers to the lack of resources needed to meet basic needs, income inequality captures the distribution of income across a population. Understanding both is essential for addressing social and economic disparities in society.

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