The meaning and measurement of poverty

Poverty is a persistent problem which has presented political and moral challengesto all societies at all times. The word itself, poverty, is a familiar one which everyoneunderstands, or thinks they understand. But the specific meaning we attach to theword depends upon the underlying concept of poverty we have in mind. It is possibleto conceptualise poverty in many different ways, each one leading towards a differentunderstanding of the meaning and significance of the term, towards a differentprecise definition, which in turn will lead to parallel differences in the methodsand measures used to estimate the numbers in poverty and gauge the depth of theirimpoverishment.