The poverty issue is always present even though it often takes that form of the ‘absent presence,’ as it is a reality that does has always not merited the attention that it deserves. The definition of poverty, how it is talked about and understood speaks a lot about the nature of policy, the shape and political response concerning the issue. Some argue that poverty and inequality are due to social injustice and unfairness. Poor people and the disadvantaged are viewed as vulnerable and require more state support. This is in line with the Marxist viewpoint. Others however claim that the poor are defiant and they play a big role in contributing to their precarious situation. In this perspective the poor are viewed as a problem or an underclass group that require strict management. They are described in a derogatory and condemning way. They therefore tend to be socially excluded from most issues. In the process, this distances them from the other members of the other members of the society. The two views are known as the dependency and the exclusion based explanation of the persistence of poverty.
In Britain for instance it has been clearly stated that. It is no longer going to be possible to expect anyone else to make payments for people who are not willing to work. This is said to help check the problem of welfare cheats. Hardworking low income earners can no longer tolerate those they suspect to be cheating on benefits. Benefit scroungers this time round will have to do fulltime work or else lose their dole just after three months. This is due to the drastic welfare system overhaul. James Purnell who is the Welfare Secretary will unveil a scheme that requires the beneficiaries to work for the dole which is the U.S. style. Those unemployed for a period of two years have to pick on fulltime duties so as to benefit from handouts. Those scroungers who do not look for any job will be on the ‘work for dole’ scheme after three months. A government source reported that was no one who had a right to the life of benefits and incase there is suitable work, people have to take it. Tough sanctions will have to be directed towards those scroungers who try to play the system.
The taxpayers will benefit from this because the welfare bill will be slashed as many people return to permanent jobs. Even the single parents who have children aged seven years have to work or else lose their welfare money as much as they have been taking benefits until the child gets to be sixteen years. There is a move to find out what the sick and disabled can do and not necessarily what they cannot do. Efforts have been made which are geared towards reforming the welfare system although many members of parliament are opposed to the shakeups which they view as being too harsh.
It is said that the main reason for the existence of poverty in the contemporary society is due to the existence of the dependency culture. There are several groups like the unemployed or single parents who rely on and have all their hopes on the state welfare benefits and hence remain trapped in poverty. Poverty while viewed in a perspective of a social problem can be said to be a deep wound that penetrates all dimensions of society and culture. It entails low income levels for the people. Such people lack access to crucial services like healthcare, education, communal services like roads, water, sanitation, communication and transportation. Poor people are also characterized by lack of the decision making . Furthermore, the ‘poverty spirit’ allows the affected to believe in as well as share apathy, despair, hopelessness and timidity. Poverty is a social problem and hence its solutions are social. It cannot be fought by the alleviation of its symptoms as most benefits agencies do but by dealing with factors that cause it. The transfer of money to the poverty victims does not reduce or eradicate poverty. This only helps to alleviate its symptoms on a short-term basis. This solution is not durable.
On the world scale, poverty has several historical causes like conquest, slavery, colonialism and war. On the other hand factors that which maintain poverty conditions are different. Many European nations faced devastating wars during the two world wars and were reduced to extreme poverty and people depended on charity, and handouts for survival. Within several decades they have managed to pull out of it in the aspects of domestic income and have become influential and thriving modern nations composed of prosperous people.At the same time many nations remain among the least developed as much as billions of dollars in the form of ‘aid’ have been spend on them.This is due to the fact that only the symptoms of poverty were dealt with and not the factors. The dependency syndrome is a weakness which has been worsened by charity.
