Definition
Starting with the term “poverty” in the title of this entry, it is safe to say that over the past decades, most scholars have come to define poverty as a multidimensional phenomenon that takes on different forms and shapes for different groups in the population. Many authors adhere to the definition introduced by Peter Townsend (1979: 31): “Individuals, families and groups in the population can be said to be in poverty when they lack the resources to obtain the type of diet, participate in the activities and have the living conditions and amenities which are customary, or at least widely encouraged, or approved, in the societies to which they belong. They are, in effect, excluded from ordinary living patterns, customs and activities.” Put differently, poverty is a social and relative concept, depending on the standards of living in a particular...
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Dewilde, C. (2014). Determinants of Poverty in Europe. In: Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_3782
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