Social Policy Absolute vs. Relative Poverty

Question: Discuss about remedial action for addressing poverty, assessing the influence of markets on the provision of housing, health, or employment in Britain.strengths and weaknesses of current policy? Answer: Poverty In the current scenario, the concept of poverty is sensitive in nature and a real issue. The notion of poverty in the UK is taken into consideration by the government as a vital social concern. In reality, poverty is multi-dimensional in nature. It is not only concerned with money. It also spreads to jobs, access to the services of the public, environment, as well as ambition. Moreover, it can also relate to education, housing, training, family life, drug abuse, etc. Hence, the main area that will be addressed is the child poverty. Tony Blair in his speech stated that poverty straddles the income and have a deep-rooted impact on services and jobs (Chappel Richardson, 2009). Poverty, its existence within the UK and even on a global scenario has been witnessed as a major issue. The main issue in defining the term poverty lies in the fact what does it link to? It is important to ascertain that whether it is materialistic or economic in nature. Secondly, it is important to determine that whether it is subsistence or materialistic in nature. There are innumerable questions that can be raised to define the concept of poverty, but unfortunately, there is no universal definition of poverty. Absolute vs. Relative poverty The idea of absolute poverty came into existence centuries ago, that aimed to attract attention to the condition of the poor. It is stated considering standard that is absolute minimum and dwells on the notion of subsistence. The normal condition should be met to have a lifestyle that is healthy. The terms trace a well-defined set of resources that all individuals need for maintaining a good lifestyle, shelter, food, and water. The majority of the sociologists accept the idea of poverty on a universal scale because without the necessities, it is not possible to survive and humans require the basic elements for existence (Dahl Lochner, 2012). Hence, people who are devoid of these vital elements for survival can be group under the concept of absolute poverty. The main fact that is concerned with absolute poverty is that although the majority of the people accept it, what is needed to sustain life within a society is prone to change with the passage of time. Hence, it is important to d efine poverty within the ambit of the society to which it belongs. This is the point where many support the concept of relative poverty (Monea Thomas, 2011). On the other hand, the term relative poverty is constructed socially within societies and is prone to change with the passage of time but on a fundamental note, it pertains to people who are living below a certain level of standard. This pre-defined standard in various countries focuses on the individual economics and the standard of living to which they are accustomed (Mani et. al, 2013). Relative poverty is a term that dwells upon differences between the levels that exists between the standard of living of the poor with that of the of living of the other member of the society that are not clubbed as poor. Majorly, it involves a measurement of the average standard of the society where poverty is being taken into consideration for the purpose of the study. It is to be noted that this definition is not considered relevant in nature due to the materialistic things that are not considered as important in other societies (Smith, 2005).When it comes to Britain, the major mean of defining relative poverty is by the utilization of welfare benefits. Adam Smith and Karl Max founded that the notion of relative poverty relative poverty keep the people from participating within the limitations of the society in which they dwell (Dahl Lochner, 2012). In highlighting both the theories, it can be said that the definition of absolute poverty or relative has similarity in nature. Both the concept pertains to the basic requirement to survive. The definition of absolute poverty contains relative judgments that can be applied to any society in particular. Time, as well, culture undergoes a sea change, and it is two factors that are considered within the structure of absolute poverty. The concept of relative poverty needs that it can be differentiated from the inequalities. Remedial action for addressing poverty The strategy must establish measures that are specific in nature and target the correct area so that the evaluation connect to the group that is needed. This will enhance the measures to gather, as well as monitor data that is not available on the groups that are exposed to risk. Moreover, the government must seek to establish the Commission on Child Poverty and strengthen the power so that the government pays heed to the matter. Setting up commission will enable attraction of expert advice on the strategys content. If any provision is flouted, then the government can be held responsible for the breach of the Child Poverty Act 2010 (Walker, 2013). The strategy will play an important role in supporting the government to meet the aims of enhancing social mobility. Result of studies Various studies have been undertaken that signifies that signifies the effect of poverty is a burden to the poor. The studies reveal that the notion of poverty needs to be remove, and that can be done with the help of strong policy action and the presence of the government. The absence of government policies and action has failed to provide any well-defined result (Walker, 2013). Moreover, local, as well as national government should pay adequate attention to the early years of a child because this will lead to a strong development and well-being. Assessing the influence of markets in the provision of housing, health, or employment in Britain. There is a strong role of the market on the provision of housing, health, and employment. The market determines the future and scope of the people. If the labor market is strong and absorbs majority of the people then it can provide solidity to the provision of housing, health, and employment. This is because the workers will earn money for their labor and in tune will provide it to housing and health. Lower wages disrupt the smooth functioning and have a negative influence on the provision of housing and health (Haymes et. al, 2015). Therefore, it is essential that the labor market is properly synchronize that may provide strong stability and aids human capital. If the labor market provides a good return to the workers then a strong result can be a witness in housing, health, and employment. Strengths and weaknesses of current policy. Child poverty is the main issue that is taken into consideration. The current policy that deals with it, has both strength and weakness. The min strength that is a witness is the presence of Child Poverty Act 2010 that has been highlighted and properly advocated. This attracts the attention of government and hence result-oriented. The priority areas are determined, and therefore, the framework is present providing a bigger stage for the progress (Haymes et. al, 2015). The weakness of the current policy is that it failed to achieve the target as the independent commission is missing and hence, results cannot be produced. The government did not lay much attention to the policy and hence, it is a setback. To ensure success and strong movement, it is essential that a commission needs to be established that will look after the framework for tackling the child poverty at both the national, as well as the international level (Shah, 2010) Local government role is important, and the lack of it leads to the major drawback. Specific measures are absent and hence, the problem persists. References Chapple, S and Richardson, D 2009, Doing better for children, Paris: OECD Dahl, G. B Lochner, L 2012, The Impact of Family Income on Child Achievement: Evidence from the Earned Income Tax Credit, American Economic Review, vol.102, no. 5, pp. 1927 Haymes, S, Maria, H and Reuben, M 2015, The Routledge Handbook of Poverty in the United States, Routledge. Mani, A, Mullainathan, S, Shafir, E, Zhao, J 2013, Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function, Science, vol. 341, pp. 976980. Monea J, Thomas A 2011, Unintended pregnancy and taxpayer spending, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, vol. 43, pp. 8893 Shah A 2010, Poverty Facts and Stats. Global Issues Smith, S.C. 2005, Ending Global Poverty: a guide to what works, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Walker, D 2013, The children going hungry in America, viewed 21 March 2016, https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21636723.