The Shame of It : Global Perspectives on Anti-Poverty Policies

The shame experienced by people living in poverty has long been recognised. Nobel laureate and economist, Amartya Sen, has described shame as the irreducible core of poverty. However, little attention has been paid to the implications of this connection in the making and implementation of anti-poverty policies. This important volume rectifies this critical omission and demonstrates the need to take account of the psychological consequences of poverty for policy to be effective. Drawing on pioneering empirical research in countries as diverse as Britain, Uganda, Norway, Pakistan, India, South Korea and China, it outlines core principles that can aid policy makers in policy development. In so doing, it provides the foundation for a shift in policy learning on a global scale and bridges the traditional distinctions between North and South, and high-, middle- and low-income countries. This will help students, academics and policy makers better understand the reasons for the varying effectiveness of anti-poverty policies. The shame of it Contents Notes on contributors Acknowledgements Preface 1. Resetting the stage New insights New global initiatives Poverty, shame and anti-poverty policy Policy moments Seven national settings Improving policy while respecting uniqueness 2. New urban poverty and new welfare provision: China’s dibao system Background Policy framing: new welfare provision and the emergence of new urban poverty Combating urban poverty: policy-making and implementation Delivery of dibao: problem or promise? Implications and recommendations 3. Thick poverty, thicker society and thin state: policy spaces for human dignity in India Introduction Anti-poverty policies: a brief historical overview Framing policy Shaping and structuring anti-poverty policy Delivery of anti-poverty policy Implications and recommendations: possibilities for improved policy spaces in a weak state setting 4. Self-sufficiency, social assistance and the shaming of poverty in South Korea Poverty in South Korea Framing of anti-poverty policy Shaping and structuring public assistance policy The point of delivery: shaming practised face-to-face Implications and recommendations 5. ‘Not good enough’: social assistance and shaming in Norway Introduction Framing policy: marginality in a generous welfare setting Shaping policy: motivating troubled individuals Structuring and delivery: shaming the residuum Implications and recommendations 6. Pakistan: a journey of poverty-induced shame Introduction Historical framework: the evolution of inequality and the space for poverty-related shame Shaming within policy shaping and structuring Shaming through policy delivery Implications and recommendations 7. Separating the sheep from the goats: tackling poverty in Britain for over four centuries Blaming and shaming: early ideological roots Blaming and shaming: solidification of concepts The crystallisation of blaming and shaming Universal Credit: welfare as the problem Implications and recommendations: the making of a class apart 8. ‘Food that cannot be eaten’: the shame of Uganda’s anti-poverty policies Introduction Framing policy: shifting priorities Structuring and delivering policy: two development approaches Implications and recommendations 9. Shame and shaming in policy processes Worlds of difference: policy contexts and offerings Shame/shaming at three policy moments Conclusion and implications 10. Towards global principles for dignity-based anti-poverty policies Emerging themes Policy-making and dignity Relevant lessons Index "The shame experienced by people living in poverty has long been recognised. Nobel laureate and economist, Amartya Sen, has described shame as the 'irreducible core' of poverty. However, little attention has been paid to the implications of this connection in the making and implementation of anti-poverty policies. This important volume rectifies this critical omission and demonstrates the need to take account of the psychological consequences of poverty for policy to be effective. Drawing on pioneering empirical research in countries as diverse as Britain, Uganda, Norway, Pakistan, India, South Korea and China, it outlines the core principles that can aid policy makers in policy development. In so doing, it provides the foundation for a shift in policy learning on a global scale and bridges the traditional distinctions between North and South, and high-, middle- and low-income countries. This will help students, academics and policy makers better understand the reasons for the varying effectiveness of anti-poverty policies."--Back cover This important volume provides the foundation for a shift in policy learning on a global scale and demonstrates the need to take account of the psychological consequences of poverty for policy to be effective.