Poverty

Introduction

"Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings." Mandela, Nelson, 2005, Anti-Apartheid-Fighter and former President of South Africa

The gap between rich and poor is growing ever-faster in Austria as well as in the rest of the world. Ever wider classes of people around the world live in uncertain conditions. The unequal conditions relate not only to people’s income and wealth, but also to their related opportunities. Although poverty in industrialised countries is very different from that in developing countries, in both it means a lack of opportunity and chances as well as no participation in global wealth. Due to its current nature, dealing with this topic is absolutely necessary.

In this module you will deal with the complexity of poverty. You will encounter the multi-faceted nature of poverty and get to grips with various ways of measuring it. Based on the documentary "Give us the money" and the influential factors of education, health and gender you will study possible causes and consequences of poverty. You will delve into anti-poverty measures using the example of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and go through their strengths and weaknesses.

Syllabus:

• 25 pages
• Opening questions
• Closing questions
• 1 practical exercise in which you will leave the computer and go in search of the contrast between rich and poor in your area

Estimated length of the module: approx. 4 hours