Paper Summary:

The paper reveals that despite America's wealth and the efforts to reduce inequalities in income, poverty is much more prevalent in the country than in other industrialized nations. The paper explains the difference between absolute poverty and poverty but shows how since there is not an agreed upon definition of poverty and absolute poverty, there can be no standard form of measurement. The paper asserts that poverty is often a topic of politicians, but it is not as simple as they typically profess it to be.

From the Paper:

"There is a distinct difference between poverty and absolute poverty as the two have been defined within the United States of America. Absolute poverty is considered when people lack the necessary food, shelter, or clothing that is necessary for survival. Relative poverty or simply poverty, on the other hand, relates to a person's inability to fully participate, economically speaking, in the society in which they live. Many underdeveloped or third-world countries experience absolute poverty that is persistent. It is reflected in their shorter life expectancies, higher levels of infant mortality, and overall poor nutrition. The complete lack of resources in some of these countries may be the cause or unequal distribution of wealth."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Poverty. (2007). Retrieved November 15, 2007, from Tiscali.Reference Web site: http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0021818.html
• Sawhill, I. V. (2002). Poverty in the United States. Retrieved November 15, 2007, from The Library of Economics and Liberty Web site: http://www.econlib.org/LIBRARY/Enc/PovertyintheUnitedStates.html
• Social Need. (2007). Retrieved November 15, 2007, from An Introduction to Social Policy Web site: http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/needf.htm

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