Report: Analysis of Income Poverty and Material Hardship

This report analyzes the relationship between income poverty and material hardship, drawing upon the provided journal article. The study examines how material deprivation, measured through income shortfalls and experiences of hardship, correlates with income poverty. Utilizing a US dataset with detailed income and poverty information, the analysis reveals associations between the timing, duration, and depth of poverty and various material hardships, including food insecurity, difficulty meeting basic needs, and housing problems. The report highlights that even short periods of poverty can significantly impact material well-being, emphasizing the cyclical nature of poverty and the importance of asset levels and wage levels in mitigating its effects. It concludes by underscoring the link between wage levels, material hardship, and overall standards of living, suggesting the need for well-planned compensation policies to promote societal sustainability.

SUMMARY: READING RESPONSE

The present study aims to evaluate the context of material deprivation in several ways
that affect the standards of livings of people. The provided journal also attempts to examine the
extent to which indicators of hardships are mainly connected to income poverty. Taking the
support of the authentic data of US dataset in terms of detailed income and poverty information
of past few years, the authors in this journal has enabled to identify the duration and depth of
poverty that is linked to material hardships. The past researchers that have used longitudinal data
found that maximum people are poor for a shorter duration, whilst others are mired to poverty.
Few are found incoming below the poverty line suffering single bout, however, others are
struggling in extreme poverty situation suffering in multiple spells.
Poverty measurement using longitudinal data used in this paper indicates that in the US
the majority of poor individuals remain poor for shorter duration and a high proportion of the
population had affected by poverty at one point or another (Iceland & Bauman, 2007). The data
also reveals that at least one out of three Americans experienced poverty for 1 year between 1979
to 1991, other data reflect that half of the American population would experience at least 1 year
of poverty between the ages of 25 to 75, since income dynamics would vary as per the changing
economic patter of the global scenario, thus, the one way or another everyone has to be a victim
of poverty measures either for shorter or longer duration (Blank, 2018).
The findings highlight that family that fall under the poverty line simultaneously suffer in
other aspects like low education, illness, zero standards of living that majorly leads their next
generation to suffer the tag of handicap. The experience of poverty leads the population itself to
tend towards the pattern of continuous crisis and setbacks that are accountable for cyclical
poverty and hardship (Lichter & Crowley, 2002). Few tests have been conducted in this paper to
outline the context of material deprivation; the outcomes state that the impact of poverty spells
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amongst families depends upon various levels of assets. It is estimated that families having
greater assets can enable to survive the threats of shorter poverty lines without experiencing great
hardship. It determines that income inequalities do bring several poverty threats to individuals,
yet, ones having greater asset value can find ways to overcome the effect of struggle.
The conclusion drawn in the paper underscores that hardship has been more common in
families. Families that are experiencing short term poverty spells might face difficulties in
making quick adjustments to the economic suffrage, thus, the struggle for food insecurities and
standard of living never ends and continues in a cycling pattern. A well-planned compensation
policy around the wage level will help the regulators to achieve the long-term goal of societal
sustainability in most optimum fashion (Shaefer & Rivera, 2018). Finally, the paper may be
wrapped up with the ending note on the fact that the wage level has a direct relation with the
material hardship and thereby, the standard of living of the workers.
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References:
Blank, R. M. (2018). It Takes a Nation: A New Agenda for Fighting Poverty-Updated Edition.
Princeton University Press.
Iceland, J., & Bauman, K. J. (2007). Income poverty and material hardship: how strong is the
association?. The Journal of Socio-Economics, 36(3), 376-396.
Lichter, D. T., & Crowley, M. L. (2002). Poverty in America: Beyond welfare reform (Vol. 57,
No. 2). Population Reference Bureau.
Shaefer, H. L., & Rivera, J. (2018). Comparing Trends in Poverty and Material Hardship over
the Past Two Decades. Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan Working Paper
Series, 5-17.
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