Poverty
EconomicsΒ· 5.2 Economic Development: PovertyΒ· 20 min read
1. Definitions of Absolute and Relative Povertyβ β ββββ± 4 min
Absolute Poverty
A condition where an individual or household cannot afford the basic necessities required for survival, including food, clean water, shelter, clothing, and basic healthcare.
Example:
The World Bankβs international poverty line is \$2.15 per person per day (adjusted for purchasing power parity).
Relative Poverty
A condition where an individual or household has an income lower than a specified percentage of the median income in their country, meaning they cannot access the standard of living enjoyed by most of the population.
Example:
In the UK, relative poverty is defined as household income below 60% of the national median income, after housing costs.
A student writes in an exam: 'Relative poverty means people do not have enough money to eat.' Explain why this answer is incomplete.
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Step 1: Identify the error in the definition. The student has described absolute poverty, not relative poverty.
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Step 2: Correct the definition, including the comparison to national income. Relative poverty measures income against the median income in a country, so people in relative poverty may still be able to afford basic needs, but cannot afford goods and services most people in their country take for granted, e.g. holidays, internet access for school work.
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Step 3: Add the standard exam threshold for credit. Most exam boards, including CIE, expect reference to the 60% of median income benchmark for relative poverty definitions.
Exam tip:
Always distinguish between absolute and relative poverty clearly in 3+ mark questions: you will lose marks if you mix up the two definitions.
2. Causes of Povertyβ β β βββ± 5 min
Poverty has multiple interconnected causes, which vary between developed and developing economies. You should be able to explain at least four causes for 6-mark exam questions.
Lack of access to education and training, leading to low-skilled, low-wage work or unemployment
Ill health and disability, which prevents people from working and increases living costs
Unemployment or underemployment, including low-paid, insecure informal work
High levels of debt, or unexpected costs such as medical bills or natural disasters
Discrimination in the labour market based on gender, ethnicity, age or disability
Government failure, including lack of social welfare support, corruption, or conflict in the country
Explain one way that poor access to education can cause long-term poverty in a developing country.
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Step 1: State the link between education and employment. Poor access to quality education means children do not gain the literacy, numeracy and technical skills required for higher-wage formal jobs when they leave school.
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Step 2: Explain the cycle of poverty. If adults only have access to low-paid informal work, they cannot afford to send their own children to school, trapping the next generation in poverty.
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Step 3: Add a relevant example to gain full marks. For example, in rural parts of Ghana, only 60% of primary school children complete their education, meaning many enter low-wage agricultural work as adults, earning less than \$2 per day on average.
Exam tip:
For explain questions, always use a clear chain of reasoning: cause β intermediate effect β final outcome, rather than just stating the cause. This will get you full marks for 3/4 mark questions.
3. Impacts of Povertyβ β β βββ± 5 min
Poverty has wide-ranging negative impacts on individuals, communities and the whole economy, making it a key priority for government policy.
Lower labour productivity, as people experiencing poverty have worse health and less access to training, reducing total output in the economy
Higher government spending on welfare and healthcare to support people living in poverty, reducing funds available for other public services such as infrastructure
Higher rates of crime and social unrest, which discourages investment from domestic and foreign firms
Intergenerational poverty, where children born into poor households are more likely to be poor as adults, creating a long-term drag on economic development
Worse health outcomes and lower life expectancy, as people cannot afford healthy food, medicine or safe housing
Analyse the impact of high poverty rates on a countryβs economic growth.
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Step 1: Identify the first impact on labour productivity. People living in poverty are more likely to suffer from malnutrition and preventable illnesses, meaning they take more sick days and are less productive when they are at work. This reduces the total output of the economy, slowing economic growth.
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Step 2: Identify the second impact on government spending. Governments have to spend more on means-tested welfare benefits, emergency healthcare and poverty reduction programmes when poverty rates are high. This leaves less public money available for investment in infrastructure, education and industrial development, which are key drivers of long-term economic growth.
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Step 3: Link to investment and development. High poverty rates are also associated with higher rates of social unrest and crime, which makes the country a less attractive location for foreign direct investment, further reducing potential growth.
Exam tip:
When asked for impacts, always separate individual, community and national level impacts to show the full scope of your understanding, especially for 6+ mark analysis questions.
4. Government Policies to Reduce Povertyβ β β β ββ± 6 min
Governments use a range of policies to reduce both absolute and relative poverty, each with advantages and disadvantages that you need to evaluate for exam questions.
Investment in universal free education and vocational training, to improve employability and increase wage levels for low-skilled workers
Progressive taxation, where higher earners pay a larger percentage of their income in tax, to fund welfare support for low-income households
Cash transfer and welfare benefit schemes, including unemployment benefits, child benefits and disability payments, to guarantee a minimum income for all households
Minimum wage legislation, to ensure that people in work earn enough to cover basic living costs
Investment in public healthcare, to reduce the risk of people falling into poverty due to medical costs or ill health preventing work
Policies to reduce discrimination in the labour market, including equal pay legislation and anti-discrimination hiring rules
Evaluate the effectiveness of a national minimum wage as a policy to reduce poverty in a developing country.
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Step 1: Explain the advantage of the minimum wage for poverty reduction. A national minimum wage guarantees that all workers in formal employment earn enough to afford basic needs, reducing absolute poverty for low-skilled workers who were previously earning below the poverty line. It also incentivises more people to enter formal work, reducing unemployment and informal sector poverty.
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Step 2: Explain the disadvantage of the policy. If the minimum wage is set too high, firms may not be able to afford to employ as many workers, leading to higher unemployment, which could increase poverty levels for people who lose their jobs. It also only benefits workers in formal employment, so it does not help the large share of the population in developing countries who work in the informal sector with no employment protections.
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Step 3: Reach a balanced conclusion for evaluation marks. Overall, a minimum wage is an effective policy to reduce poverty for formal sector workers, but it needs to be paired with other policies such as cash transfers and informal sector regulation to reduce poverty across the whole population.
Exam tip:
For evaluation questions (usually 8-mark questions in Paper 2), you must always give both advantages and disadvantages of a policy, plus a clear, justified conclusion that states when the policy is most effective. You will not get full marks if you only give one side of the argument.
5. Common Pitfalls
Wrong move:
Mixing up absolute and relative poverty definitions in exam answers
Why:
Examiners test this distinction explicitly, and mixing the two will cost you all marks for definition questions
Correct move:
Always associate absolute poverty with basic survival needs / fixed poverty line, and relative poverty with comparison to median national income / 60% threshold
Wrong move:
Only listing causes/impacts/policies without explaining the chain of reasoning
Why:
3+ mark questions require analysis, not just recall, so you will lose marks for bullet points with no explanation
Correct move:
Use the "cause β effect β outcome" structure for all explain questions, adding a relevant real-world example where possible
Wrong move:
Evaluating a policy without considering the context of the economy
Why:
A policy that works in a developed country may not work in a developing country, and examiners reward context-specific analysis
Correct move:
For evaluation questions, specify whether the policy is more effective in developed or developing economies, and note any conditions required for it to work e.g. minimum wage only works for formal sector workers
Wrong move:
Using A-Level concepts such as Gini coefficient or Lorenz curve to explain poverty
Why:
These are out of scope for CIE IGCSE Economics 0455, and you will not get extra marks for including them, and may lose marks if you use them incorrectly
Correct move:
Stick to the IGCSE-level concepts outlined in the syllabus, and use examples from real-world low and middle income countries to support your answers
Wrong move:
Assuming that all poverty is caused by individual choices, rather than structural factors
Why:
Examiners expect you to recognise that poverty has systemic causes such as lack of access to education or discrimination, not just individual factors
Correct move:
When explaining causes of poverty, include a mix of individual (e.g. ill health) and structural (e.g. lack of public education) causes to show balanced understanding
6. Quick Reference Cheatsheet
Concept | Key Definition/Details | Exam Use Case |
|---|---|---|
Absolute Poverty | Cannot afford basic survival needs; <\$2.15/day global poverty line | 1-2 mark definition questions, explain causes of poverty in low-income countries |
Relative Poverty | Income <60% of national median income; poor compared to rest of population | Definition questions, explain poverty in high-income countries |
Common Causes | Lack of education, unemployment, ill health, discrimination, government failure | 3-4 mark explain questions, 6 mark analysis questions |
Key Impacts | Lower productivity, higher government spending, intergenerational poverty | Analysis questions, link to economic development |
Reduction Policies | Education investment, progressive tax, minimum wage, cash transfers, public healthcare | 8 mark evaluation questions, policy analysis |
7. Frequently Asked
What is the difference between absolute and relative poverty for the exam?
Absolute poverty is when a person cannot afford basic needs (food, shelter, clean water, healthcare) required for survival, measured using a fixed poverty line e.g. \$2.15 per day. Relative poverty is when a household earns less than 60% of the median income in their country, so they are poor compared to the rest of the population, even if they can afford basic needs.
Do I need to draw diagrams for poverty questions?
For CIE IGCSE Economics 0455, you do not need to draw diagrams for poverty questions. You can use supply and demand diagrams for labour market impacts if relevant, but they are not required unless explicitly asked in the question.
Going deeper
What's Next
Now that you have mastered the poverty content for CIE IGCSE Economics 0455 Unit 5, you can move on to other economic development topics, including population change and economic growth, to build your full understanding of the unit. You should also practice writing structured exam answers to past paper poverty questions, focusing on clear chain of reasoning and balanced evaluation for higher mark questions. Make sure you can link poverty to other parts of the syllabus, including labour market policy and government spending, as cross-topic questions are common in Paper 2.