Equality Street: Ideology and attitudes towards the purely relative definition of poverty

Abstract

The (purely) relative definition of poverty remains influential as an evaluative yardstick for various government policies. Left‐wing social policy scholars and anti‐poverty campaigners' strong commitment to it contrasts sharply with public attitudes. Regression models using British Social Attitudes data found that ideological orientation was the most consistently powerful predictor of how people define poverty. Evidence suggests anti‐poverty organisations' campaign failures might be due to ideological opposition or to the conceptual weakness of purely relative poverty rather than (as campaigners have claimed) ineffective campaign tactics or the influence of the mass media. Conservative politicians have little to fear in opposing the Marxist concept.

Alleviating Relative Poverty in Rural China through a Diffusion Schema of Returning Farmer Entrepreneurship

“…The effective reduction in relative poverty is not only reflected in income level above the relative poverty line but also in the reduction in deprivation felt by poor households in terms of their social life and ecological environment [82], or an increase in their sense of gain. Guided by equality and equity, poor households are feeling more benefits in all aspects, and the gap between them and other groups is narrowing [83][84][85][86]. Policymakers must choose appropriate means to improve the ability of local poor households in terms of self-proliferation and differentiation, and consider the socio-economic characteristics of the management area and factors such as poor households' education level [28].…”