Poverty, Work, and Freedom : Political Economy and the Moral Order

The poor seem easy to identify: those who do not have enough money or enough of the things money can buy. This 2005 book explores a different approach to poverty, one suggested by the notion of capabilities emphasized by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum. In the spirit of the capabilities approach, the book argues that poverty refers not to a lack of things but to the lack of the ability to live life in a particular way. The authors argue that the poor are those who cannot live a life that is discovered and created rather than already known. Avoiding poverty, then, means having the capacity and opportunity for creative living. The authors argue that the capacity to do skilled work plays a particularly important role in creative living, and suggest that the development of the ability to do skilled work is a vital part of solving the problem of poverty. Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Preface 9 Acknowledgments 13 1 Introduction 15 Part I 25 2 The classical period 27 Mercantilism and the Old Poor Law 29 Labor and subsistence 32 Poverty and the logic of capitalism 34 Classical political economy and the New Poor Law 37 3 Poverty policy 43 Self-correcting and crisis prone markets 43 Measurement of poverty 45 Will and Character 50 The rhetoric of the welfare debate 52 4 Income, basic needs, and capabilities 55 Growth and income 55 Basic needs 56 Capabilities and Human Development 60 Universality 62 Part II 67 5 Needs, work, and identity 69 From moral order to individual right 69 From known to unknown need 72 Identity 74 Impoverishment and identity 76 Need and identity 77 Work and identity 79 6 Creativity and freedom 80 Introduction 80 Thinking without presuppositions 80 Not thinking 83 Destruction 84 Creativity and autonomy 86 Creativity and work 88 Work and reality 90 7 Work and freedom 92 Work 92 The opposition between work and freedom 96 Skills, creativity, and freedom 98 Work, character, and authority 99 Exclusion 101 Skill and identity 104 Skill and income 105 Poverty policy 107 8 Work and satisfaction 109 Methodological issues 110 The place of the economic in life satisfaction 112 Income and life satisfaction 113 Satisfaction with Income and Behavior 116 Aspects of work 118 Effects of work 119 Pay and personality 122 9 The psychology of work 128 Introduction 128 Emotional development and the meaning of work 130 Work and satisfaction 135 Alienated labor 136 Part III 141 10 Beyond the moral order 143 The facilitating environment and the normative order 143 The problem of values 146 The problem of change 150 Poverty policy as development 152 Rights, welfare, and stewardship 154 Conclusion 158 Definition and measurement of poverty 158 The norm of freedom 160 References 162 Index 169 The Poor Seem Easy To Identify: Those Who Do Not Have Enough Money Or Enough Of The Things Money Can Buy. This Book Explores A Different Approach To Poverty, One Suggested By The Notion Of Capabilities That Is Emphasized By Amartya Sen And Martha Nussbaum. In The Spirit Of The Capabilities Approach, The Book Argues That Poverty Refers Not To A Lack Of Things But To The Lack Of The Ability To Live Life In A Particular Way. However, Rather Than Seeking To Identify A Prescribed Set Of Activities And Ways Of Being That Are Necessary For A Fully Human Life, The Book Focuses Attention On A Particular Capability, The Capability For Creative Living, And Explores The Idea That We Might Consider Poverty To Be The Inability To Live Creatively.--book Jacket. 1. Introduction -- 2. Classical Period -- 3. Poverty Policy -- 4. Income, Basic Needs, And Capabilities -- 5. Needs, Work, And Identity -- 6. Creativity And Freedom -- 7. Work And Freedom -- 8. Work And Satisfaction -- 9. Psychology Of Work -- 10. Beyond The Moral Order. David P. Levine, S. Abu Turab Rizvi. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 148-154) And Index.