GETTING OFF THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD: MEASUREMENT AND DEFINITIONAL ISSUES IN POVERTY

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ZAHID EMBY
Shaharil Talib
MOHAMMED HALIB

Abstract

Class societies by their very definition breed and perpetuate poverty. Attempts to address poverty issues are of recent origins. More specifically in the developing world, they began only after World War II. These initiatives were born in the industrial West and were exported by foreign advisers and consultants to poverty afflicted nations. These jet-set experts often come for a short period and operated from posh hotels dictating the ground rules for eradicating poverty. There is definitely big business in poverty policy programmes.  Academics, too, have cashed in on the poverty issue. Many jumped on to the poverty bandwagon. They have investigated the causes of poverty, ways to eradicate poverty, profiles of the poor, indicators of poverty, and of late even to the extent of developing a poverty monitoring system. The vast amount of money is poured into these noble causes. Their findings are deliberated in seminars and conferences both at the national and international levels. But persistent poverty defies their captive minds. Theoretical, definitional, and measurement issue.s continue to haunt poverty studies. Exorcising poverty is ritualized. Among the producing classes, the Razaks are born and live out their daily existence producing and reproducing their like images. Class-ridden societies multiply these soldiers of broken fortunes.

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