Urban Policy

Running Head : Poverty and Urban Policy

Poverty and the Urban Policy

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University

Professor

Subject

Poverty and the Urban Policy

1 . Poverty : Definition , Measurement and Causes

Euchner and McGovern (2003 ) provide a simple yet comprehensive definition of poverty : the lack of adequate provisions for the basic necessities for living established by the society (p . 35 . By basic necessities , Euchner and McGovern (2003 ) are referring to food clothing , shelter , medical care , transportation , and other material needs that humans cannot live without . People who experience scarcity of these

basic needs are unlikely to socialize with other members of the society . Thus , the prevalent result is unemployment , illiteracy , and deprivation of physical and material goods that are required to support their needs and other necessities which in turn would aid to the development of the individual

Since poverty has many contributing factors and causes , the Federal Government adopted the statistical measure of poverty devised by Mollie Orshansky , Social Security Administration statistician in 1963 (cited in Euchner McGovern , 2003 . Orshansky estimated that the food expenses of a particular family accounted for one third of their hence , poverty line is calculated using the multiplier of three ' for the money needed to pay for an emergency diet (cited in Euchner McGovern , 2003 ,

. 38 . This measurement was devised such that an individual can survive for a short period eating an inadequate diet , yet in the long term , a deficient diet could cause health problems to the individual . The measurement developed by Orshansky was known...