Chapter2 Flashcards
(10 cards)
economic inequality
Large differences in income and wealth across individuals and groups within a society; differences in the economic power of nations.
social mobility
The movement of individuals from one social class to another during the course of one’s lifetime.
absolute poverty
Lack of the basic necessities (food, shelter, medicine) for basic survival. Starvation is an example of absolute poverty.
relative poverty
Survival, but far below the general living standards of the society or social group in which the poor live; affects people’s lives in dramatic ways.
poverty line
It represents a usual standard of living and differs across countries. The definition of poverty varies by society, within societies, and also over time.
low-income cut-offs(LICOs)
A formal definition used by Statistics Canada for measuring relative poverty based on the percentage of income devoted to daily necessities (food, shelter, clothing) and determined both regionally and by population (size of city or rural).
low income measures(LIMs)
A set of figures representing 50 per cent of the median ‘adjusted family income’. Actual incomes are compared with LIMs to determine whether or not a family can be considered ‘low-income’.
market basket measures(MBM)
A way of measuring income and poverty that was added in 2003 to Statistics Canada’s methods of measuring income and poverty. It is based on an imaginary basket of market-priced goods and services and on the income needed to purchase the items in the basket. The determination of what goes into this imaginary basket tends to exclude all but the absolute essentials of bare survival.
human development index(HDI)
A combined measure of achievement in three basic areas of human development—life expectancy at birth; literacy; and GDP per capita—used by the United Nations Development Program to monitor social and economic progress across countries.
culture of poverty
Theory developed by Oscar Lewis characterizing the urban poor as having a distinct set of values and norms, including short-sightedness, impulsiveness, and a tendency to accept their marginalized status in society, and as remaining poor because they pass on these values to future generations.
