What Is Poverty?

What is poverty? The Random House Unabridged Dictionary states that poverty is the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor; indigence. Poverty has been an issue in the United States and every other country in the world. Poverty is not just the inadequacy of money, but also not being able to fulfill even just the necessities in life. Will poverty ever not exist? The answer is simply, no. Unless people live in a Utopian society where people are perfect and live in perfect harmony, there will always be poverty. So, the question isn’t how can poverty be stopped, but it is how can people reduce poverty?

Many people enter and leave poverty each year. But, what causes poverty? In "The Economic Factors behind Long-Term Poverty,” written by Rebecca Blank says that there are several reasons why poverty could begin. Blank states, “People become poor either because of a change in the composition of the family (such as when a divorce results in a dramatic decline in total household income) or because the head of the household experiences a major decrease in earnings (due to extended unemployment or similar causes).” She also says, “There are two types of poor people: those who experience a brief spell of poverty and then move up the economic ladder, and those who never seem able to escape living in poverty.” How can poverty be reduced? Using the example of a change in the composition of a family, (a divorce) most households have both spouses working jobs. Therefore, in the case of a divorce, compromises should be made in order that both people can live coincide in the world separately, however peacefully without digging into each other’s pockets for every last penny.

One statistical fact states that whites are more inclined to leave poverty faster than blacks. There is also a controversy of the use of illegal drugs that could potentially cause poverty. In the article, “Substance Abuse causes Poverty,” Robert Kaestner argues that the physiological effects of substance abuse—especially chronic abuse—reduces users' physical and mental abilities, which lowers productivity, reduces earnings, and increases the likelihood of poverty. Poverty is concentrated in inner-city neighborhoods that have a high percentage of illegal drug use. Also, the homeless population in cities is also found to have high percentages of illegal drug use. So, illegal drug use and poverty could in fact go hand-in-hand. They are the perfect couple. “Poor people live without fundamental freedoms of action and choice that the better-off take for granted,” says Berna Miller and James D. Torr. This might in fact be an advantage later in poor people’s lives if they should ever leave the horrific state they are in. They will learn to take things with value. Shelter, food, and clothing will take on a whole new meaning to them. If only people could have this sense of direction without having to go through such hard times.

Pareto efficiency is a way to describe poverty. Here’s an example. There are two routes to get to a person’s home. If everyone uses a single route, then that route will be extremely