Generational Bargain, Transfer of Disadvantages and Extreme Poverty: A Qualitative Enquiry from Bangladesh

Abstract

Why do the poor stay poor? And, crucially, why are their children likely to be poor and end up poor later in life? This is a familiar question in the fields of development, social policy and economics alike. Bangladesh has seen notable successes in reducing poverty, and yet, addressing the transfer of deprivations and disadvantages within and between generations still poses a major challenge for policy-makers. To date, literature on inter-generational poverty remains dominated by large quantitative panel data. By contrast, this study draws on a unique qualitative dataset of 72 extreme poor households across Bangladesh, examining how inter- and intra-generational bargains generate extreme poverty. It is argued that, while poverty is transferred inter-generationally, it is not transferred equally. Rather, transferred disadvantages are shaped by persistent forms of deprivation, discrimination and a household-level political economy that is highly gendered. The inter-generational transfer of poverty should be seen as a dynamic and negotiated process that is crucially shaped by intra-generational bargains.

Gendering childhood(s) and engagement with schooling in rural Sierra Leone

“…Competition over scarce resources in a society rich in natural minerals is testament to the longstanding trajectory of structured inequalities and abject poverty of the communities we visited. Poverty however is not only material -it is also relational (Akram, Mathilde, and Denk 2020). It frames the context in which power dynamics, both generational and gendered become operationalised.…”

“…Further, aspirations for education are governed not only by the collective and gendered orientations within the kinship group but also by the opportunity structures for schooling and work in the local community. While the literature consistently highlights essentialist gendered constructs that foreshadow the opportunities especially for girls, the inter-relationship between norms around marriage/fertility, work and extended schooling is complex and can play out differently for boys and girls depending on social and cultural context (Akram, Mathilde, and Denk 2020;Boyden, Porter, and Sharkevich 2020;Froerer 2012).…”

Understanding resilience: Lessons from lived experiences of extreme poverty in Bangladesh

“…Conceptually, our starting point is that resilience is essentially about time, its control and management. It draws attention to the sequencing of livelihood strategies of the extreme poor and their medium, longer and intergenerational implications (Akram et al, 2020). In the development literature, resilience is understood in terms of the need for socioeconomic security in the face of multiple vulnerabilities, adverse events, hazards and shocks (Pasteur, 2011).…”

“…With fewer options, one of the ways poorer people invest in their personal futures is via their children as sources of care or via personal dependencies on patrons, thereby circumscribing their own autonomy (Wood, 2003). Sometimes, this personalized survival formula can be understood in terms of the "peasant analogue": an intimate intergenerational deal between inherited property rights, labour and care services (Akram et al, 2020). However, these options (demographically and in terms of political economy) are rarely fulfilled among the extreme poor, thus reducing personal autonomy and capabilities still further.…”

Analysing Factors Influencing Career Prospects Among Underprivileged Students - A Case Study

“…Assessing the utility of different government programs and resources available to underprivileged communities can be very useful especially as feedback for creating new policies aimed towards education of low-income students. (Akram et. al., 2020;Joshi, 2016, Sangma, 2013 Another factor that becomes absent in the educational circumstance of underprivileged and underrepresented communities is exposure to different potential career paths early on in their childhood.…”