ABSTRACT
Introduction ............................................................................................. 28 What is Poverty? ..................................................................................... 28 The Income Poverty Paradigm ................................................................ 30 The Basic Needs Approach and Poverty ................................................. 33 The Capabilities Approach and Poverty ................................................. 34 SWB and Poverty .................................................................................... 38 Poverty in Tourism Studies ..................................................................... 40 Toward a Fifth Paradigm: The Pop ......................................................... 43 References ............................................................................................... 48 Endnotes .................................................................................................. 52
INTRODUCTION
The complexity of the concept of poverty is revealed through multiple channels in politics, media, associations, and the international community. Different views and positions are adopted with regard to the meaning, causes, and approaches to poverty. This diversity in definitions poses enormous hurdles for realizing the perennial objective of reducing poverty by modern society. Varying conceptualizations of poverty make measurements controversial, affecting estimates of the magnitude of poverty and subsequent actions to be undertaken. Conflicting notions of poverty can leave poor people without the necessary attention to policies and actions. This chapter explores the meanings and measurements of poverty and their implications. This exploration is directed by the question: how do we make sense of the helplessness of the faces discussed in the previous chapter? Finally, the chapter introduces a new paradigm assessing poverty, the poverty obliteration paradigm (POP).
