Model Answer
0 min readIntroduction
Chronic poverty refers to a state of persistent, long-term deprivation, often spanning generations, where individuals or households are unable to escape poverty despite economic growth or general poverty reduction efforts. Understanding its multifaceted nature requires frameworks that look beyond mere income deficiency. The capability deprivation approach, largely associated with Amartya Sen, and the social capital deprivation approach, rooted in the works of Bourdieu, Coleman, and Putnam, offer two prominent yet distinct sociological perspectives. While both shed light on the structural and individual factors perpetuating poverty, they emphasize different dimensions of deprivation, providing complementary insights into the complex dynamics of chronic poverty.
Understanding Chronic Poverty: Capability Deprivation vs. Social Capital Deprivation
Chronic poverty is a deeply entrenched phenomenon. To effectively address it, a comprehensive understanding of its root causes is essential. The capability deprivation approach and the social capital deprivation approach provide powerful analytical lenses, each with unique strengths.Capability Deprivation Approach
The capability approach, pioneered by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, shifts the focus of poverty analysis from income or resources to the actual freedoms and opportunities people have to live the lives they value. Poverty, in this view, is the deprivation of fundamental capabilities.- Core Idea: It argues that what truly matters is an individual's "capability to function" – the real opportunities they have to achieve various "functionings" (beings and doings), such as being well-nourished, being healthy, having access to education, and participating in community life without shame.
- Focus on Freedoms: Sen emphasizes that individuals can differ greatly in their ability to convert resources (like income) into actual functionings due to personal characteristics (e.g., disability, age, gender) and social circumstances (e.g., discrimination, lack of public services).
- Multidimensionality: This approach inherently views poverty as multidimensional, encompassing various aspects of human well-being beyond economic indicators.
Social Capital Deprivation Approach
The social capital approach, influenced by sociologists like Pierre Bourdieu, James Coleman, and Robert Putnam, highlights the role of social networks, trust, and norms in facilitating collective action and access to resources. Social capital deprivation thus refers to the lack of these beneficial social connections.- Core Idea: It posits that social connections, networks, and the trust within them constitute a valuable resource ("capital") that individuals and groups can leverage to improve their lives, access information, secure support, and overcome challenges.
- Focus on Relationships: Chronic poverty, from this perspective, is exacerbated by the absence or weakness of these social bonds, leading to exclusion from beneficial networks and limited access to collective resources.
- Relational Aspect: Social capital can be bonding (within homogenous groups), bridging (between diverse groups), or linking (between individuals/groups and institutions of power), each offering different forms of support and opportunities.
Comparative Analysis of Capability Deprivation and Social Capital Deprivation
The following table provides a detailed comparison of these two approaches to understanding chronic poverty:| Feature | Capability Deprivation Approach | Social Capital Deprivation Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Proponent | Amartya Sen | Pierre Bourdieu, James Coleman, Robert Putnam |
| Unit of Analysis | Individual (and their capabilities/freedoms) | Group, community, networks (and their resources) |
| Definition of Poverty | Deprivation of fundamental capabilities and real freedoms to achieve valuable functionings. | Lack of access to valuable resources embedded in social networks and relationships (e.g., trust, norms, reciprocity). |
| Key Dimensions | Health, education, nutrition, political freedom, safety, participation in community life. | Social networks, trust, norms of reciprocity, civic engagement, institutional connections. |
| Causes of Chronic Poverty | Lack of access to public services (health, education), discrimination, market failures, personal conversion handicaps, lack of agency. | Weak family/community networks, social exclusion, lack of trust, inability to articulate in public forums, discriminatory norms, limited access to influential networks. |
| Policy Implications | Focus on expanding human capabilities through public provision of health, education, social security, empowering vulnerable groups. Example: India's National Multidimensional Poverty Index. | Interventions to strengthen community organizations, foster trust, build bridging and linking social capital, promote inclusive institutions. Example: Self-Help Groups (SHGs). |
| Focus | What individuals can do and be. | How social relationships provide access to resources and support for individual and collective well-being. |
| Nature of Deprivation | Intrinsic inability to achieve valued states of being and doing. | Extrinsic lack of social connections that serve as a resource. |
Complementarity and Interconnections
While distinct, these two approaches are not mutually exclusive; rather, they offer complementary insights into chronic poverty.- Social Capital Enhances Capabilities: Strong social capital can significantly enhance an individual's capabilities. For instance, community networks can facilitate access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. A cohesive community might collectively demand better public services, thereby expanding the capabilities of its members.
- Capability Deprivation Limits Social Capital: Conversely, severe capability deprivations can hinder the formation and utilization of social capital. An individual lacking basic education or suffering from chronic illness may be unable to participate effectively in community activities or forge beneficial social ties, thereby deepening their social capital deprivation. Research on chronic poverty often highlights how the poorest families, due to their interlocking disadvantages (poor health, lack of assets, inability to articulate), are often marginalized within community social structures, making it unlikely for them to draw on social capital.
- Holistic Understanding: For instance, a child from a chronically poor household might be deprived of education (capability deprivation). This deprivation could be exacerbated by a lack of social capital – their parents might not have networks to access information on schooling schemes, or their community might lack the collective agency to establish a good local school.
Conclusion
Both the capability deprivation and social capital deprivation approaches provide critical, albeit distinct, frameworks for understanding chronic poverty. The capability approach underscores the importance of individual freedoms and the multidimensional nature of human well-being, moving beyond income to assess what people can actually do and be. The social capital approach, on the other hand, highlights the vital role of social networks, trust, and collective action as resources that can either alleviate or perpetuate poverty. A truly comprehensive strategy to combat chronic poverty must integrate both perspectives, focusing on expanding individual capabilities while simultaneously strengthening inclusive social capital to foster resilience and create pathways out of persistent deprivation.
Answer Length
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