Charity and Poverty (Position Paper) (original) (raw)
Related papers
“Charity, a spectacle that reproduce poverty”
This paper will discuss about charity as a mechanism for social exploitation. In that sense it will be argue that poverty is functional to the system, and regarding to one of its functions the poor are used for redemption of society. Thus, to justify the continued existence of its structure. Here is when charity appears. Hence, the objective is to unsettle the taken-for granted notion about charity in society through a critical argument. Jawaharlal Nehru University School of Social Sciences Department: Economy and Society
2017
This book explores what a good society without poverty could look like and identifies policies and practices to support it. There is now widespread acceptance that neoliberalism has gone too far, while the welfare state established after the Second World War is in decline. Yet no alternative approaches have so far emerged. This book helps to fill that gap. It is based on a five-year programme of research supported by the Webb Memorial Trust. Research partners include leading organisations such as Compass, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), the Centre for Local Economic Strategies, the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), the Fabian Society, Bright Blue, Oxfam, the Smith Institute, Shelter and others, as well as a range of academics. We have also worked closely with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty. Barry Knight led this work. In this book he brings together the findings of the various strands of the research and suggests ways to take it forward. This book has its origins in the work of a pioneering social reformer whose lifetime of research enabled much of the social advance of the 20th century but who is now largely forgotten: Beatrice Webb (1858-1943). Her Minority Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress 1905-09 was about more than just breaking up the Poor Law. It raised new ideas, which she developed with her husband Sidney, such as organising the labour market to prevent unemployment, providing a national health service and operating Ix 2 Coates, D.
On Affluence and Poverty: Morality, Motivation and Practice in a Global Age (Doctoral Thesis, 2013)
2013
This thesis looks at the failure of individual people living in affluent societies to do more to help those living in conditions of extreme poverty at the present moment. Affluent people have the capacity to assist, by contributing additional funds to aid and humanitarian organisations. Given an understanding of what is at stake, the fact that they fail to do so is both morally problematic and difficult to explain. Yet, without an understanding of the causes of inaction, it is difficult to know what measures may be taken to alleviate extreme suffering in the world today. The thesis draws upon different philosophical accounts of practical reason to argue that the conduct of the affluent can only be understood in one of three ways: these people may lack decisive reason to assist, they may be misinformed, or they may be rationally deficient in some regard. Considering each possibility in turn, it advances two central arguments. Firstly, the normative reasons claim is sound: affluent people, who do not incur minor costs by assisting, ought to do more. Secondly, these people tend to have false beliefs about the nature of poverty, to make substantive errors of judgement, and to follow flawed patterns of reasoning when they deliberate about what to do. Taken together, these factors explain their failure to act. Building upon this diagnosis, the thesis then considers how to respond to the problem of inaction, advancing a solution that is institutional in character. It argues for the construction of a division of labour between state and citizen, at the national level, which would see political institutions take on responsibility for poverty eradication, thereby leaving individuals freer to pursue their own personal goals and objectives. In order to perform this function effectively, wealthy nations would have to improve the quantity and quality of assistance that they provide to low-income countries. They would also have to cease partaking in practices that harm the global poor. This approach has a number of advantages over reliance on private philanthropy alone: it forms part of a fair and effective solution to the problem of motivating assistance, the arrangement it proposes is both stable and legitimate, and it is also something that could be achieved in practice. Therefore, it represents part of the best possible way in which to proceed.
A book review: Rethinking poverty
Academia Letters, 2022
The book, Rethinking Poverty, by Banerjee and Duflo (2011) is still being discussed, eight years after its publication. This renewed interest is related to the Nobel Prize in economics which they were awarded, in 2019, along with economist Michael Robert Kremer, for their work on poverty reduction. This 407-page book is the culmination of several years of field observations by its authors. The authors build their arguments around two main parts. The first, Private Lives, studies the lives of the poor, while the second, Institutions, focuses on understanding the institutions that are supposed to define and implement policies aimed at improving the living conditions of individuals. The authors carry out a critical examination of poverty reduction policies in the light of empirical figures and results, but above all, of field experiences. The core idea defended is that failure of policies and programs on poverty reduction is mainly due to the disconnection of the theories which underlie them from the real local context and the poor quality of the institutions. To illustrate this failure and propose alternatives, the book's argument is developed in ten chapters discussing issues about poor's live: from the poverty trap, pp.17-39, to economic policies, pp.
Eradicating Poverty: The Mission, Vision and Conviction
Journal of Indian Council of Philosophical Research, 2019
Eradicating poverty is one of the prime goals included in the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations in its Post-2015 Development Agenda. Clearly, this is a mission set for the world to achieve but do humans have a moral obligation to fulfill it? In other words, is there a moral obligation on the part of the affluent of the world to help the needy poor? Drawing on the relation between a moral obligation and a moral right, one view is that if there is a moral obligation to help the needy poor of the world, then we can say that those afflicted by severe poverty have a moral right (human right) to be free from poverty. But being an example of a socioeconomic right, it is writ with problems leading some philosophers to doubt that there is such a right. On the other hand, many attempts have been made to justify such a right. The paper looks at some attempts that have been made to justify the existence of such a right on the metaethical principles of justice, humanity and the concepts of karma and dharmic duty. It further delves into the nature of the moral obligation to eradicate poverty where this philosophical exercise provides the vision and the insight into the extent and scope of the mission. Lastly, the paper suggests how in view of the complex theoretical issues involved, one can attempt to generate the conviction that there is a human moral obligation to eradicate poverty.
Social topic called poverty is examined mainly through the literature of Georg Simmel. Religious implications, and those of philosophy, mysticism, law etc, enhance the consideration. This is no field investigation report or empirical study.
Mission Studies, 2011
When Helping Hurts comes out of the Chalmers Centre for Economic Development and is the result of close cooperation between Steve Corbett, an experienced practitioner in a major Christian relief and development agency, Food for the Hungry International, and an academic researcher and professor, Brian Fikkert. Most of the writing was done by Fikkert, although it is not designed as an academic book so much as a discussion handbook to help in alleviating poverty without causing more harm. Fikkert is closer to When Charity Destroys Dignity by Glenn Schwarz (2007) than to To Give or Not To Give, by John Rowell (2007), although the background is much more clearly within the North American church than within the developing world. Theologically, When Helping Hurts follows the line of Bryant Myers in Walking with the Poor (1999) but is more accessible. When Helping Hurts can be used for personal study or for group discussions with helpful questions at the beginning and end of each chapter. The clear explanation of relational theology in connection with creation leads to very practical discussions not only on poverty of material things but what Fikkert calls "poverty of being." This challenges the superior attitudes or "god-complexes" of many of the non-poor in relation to the materially poor. Poverty alleviation moves beyond relief of material poverty into the wider realm of restoration of the basic broken relationships: "Poverty alleviation is the ministry of reconciliation moving people closer to glorifying God by living in right relationship with God, with self, with others, and with the rest of creation" (78). Having set the scene with descriptions of what poverty is and is not, including a good theological foundation, Fikkert goes on to discuss helpful principles for poverty alleviation without hurting donor or recipients. Few of the ideas are new. Some, such as "asset-based assessments" and "participatory learning and action" are being used widely in Christian relief and development work in the field. Each is, however, very clearly explained and put into context in this book for average Christians to understand and relate to their own situation. In an important statement warning about the dangers of hurting recipients rather than helping, Fikker writes, "One of the biggest mistakes that North American churches make-by far-is in applying relief in situations in which rehabilitation or development is the appropriate intervention" (105). In the final section, Fikkert and Corbett tackle practical issues in modern poverty alleviation. They have some very strong things to say about short-term missions to help them avoid causing long-term harm. Their pleas are closely related to the themes passing throughout the book, particularly the concept of the superior "god-complex." Throughout the book, ideas are explained through apposite anecdotes from around the world, including many from within North American communities, making it a book for all and not just those interested in foreign mission. The final chapter on microfinance and business as mission is helpful in explaining how some of these schemes work and of their importance in using many of the principles already enunciated throughout the book.