Poverty as Severe Entitlement Failure

Leland R. Dela Cruz

Development Studies Program

School of Social Sciences

Ateneo de Manila University

updated June 12, 2010

Poverty as Severe Entitlement FailureSen, Amartya, Poverty and Famines: An Essay on

Entitlements and Deprivation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1982.

Dreze, Jean and Sen, Amartya, Hunger and Public Action. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989

Dreze, Jean; Sen, Amartya; and Hussain, Athar (eds.), The Political Economy of Hunger. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1995

Nussbaum, Martha and Sen, Amartya (eds.), The Quality of Life. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993

Sen, Amartya, Development as Freedom. New York: Anchor Books, 1999

Poverty, Income and Basic NeedsPoverty has been traditionally defined as

income deprivation.

This has been improved upon by the basic needs approach which defines poverty as basic needs deprivation.

Poverty and Income

Basic needs may be acquired using income.

The capability of a person to acquire income enhances his chances of acquiring basic needs.

Capability to earn income enhanced by: Access to Health Services Access to Educational Services

Poverty and Income

But income is only a means of acquiring basic needs.

Basic needs can be acquired apart from income.

Food Acquisition

Food can be bought. Food can be produced. Food can be obtained through transfers.

Transfers: Commodities/ money obtained from others without anything given in exchange.

Food can be obtained from the “commons”. Commons: Commodities for which there are no

property rights or unenforced property rights.

The Analysis of Famines

Famines can be caused by lack of food. But famines have happened in areas where

food was abundant. Famines should be more generally

understood as the inability to acquire food.

Sen, 1982 and 1999

Causes of inability to acquire food

Health problems and problems with nature which affect direct producers.

Inability to access commons or depleting supply in the commons could affect those who rely on this resource.

Cessation of transfers could affect dependent individuals.

Why can’t food be acquired?

FOODLabor + Nature +

Productive Resources

Labor

MarketCash Crops/ Commodities

Assets

Wage

Productive resources

Demand/ price of:

• Commodities

• Labor

• Assets

Why can’t food be acquired?

FOODLabor + Nature +

Productive Resources

Labor

MarketCash Crops/ Commodities

Assets

Wage

Productive resources

Supply/ price of:

• Productive resources

• Food

The Analysis of Famines

Famines are the result of the inability to acquire food.

Food is not a commodity a community suffering from a famine can acquire.

Food is not part of that community’s entitlements.

Entitlements

Commodities over which a person can exercise ownership or command

Sen, 1982

Famines as Entitlement Failure

Famines are a result of severe entitlement failure.

Different sectors have different ways of acquiring food.

Different sectors have different sources of vulnerabilities to famine.

The Acquirement Problem

SHELTERLabor + Nature +

Productive Resources

Labor

MarketCash Crops/ Commodities

Assets

Wage

Productive resources

Poverty as severe basic needs deprivation

Poverty as severe entitlements deprivation

Poverty as the inability to acquire basic needs

Evaluating Entitlements

Is the good or service available? Is the good or service accessible? Is access to the good secure? Is the good or service acceptable? What is the quality of the good or service

that is available?

UN-Philippines, 2002

Access to Sanitary Facilities

(2008, NDHS)

None/ bush/ field

Others

Flush, sewer

Flush, pit

Shared Toilet

Flush, septic

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Phil.

Rural

Urban

% of households

Sources of Drinking Water

Others

Protected Dug Well

Protected Spring

Bottled Water, Non-improved Source

Bottled Water, Improved Source

Tube Well

Piped Water

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

TotalRuralUrban

% of householdsNDHS, 2008

Other Sources of Drinking Water

Others

Surface Water

Tanker

Unprotected spring

Unprotected dug well

Rainwater

Semi-protected well

Public Tap

0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8%

TotalRuralUrban

NDHS, 2008 % of households

Time to obtain water

30 minutes or longer

Less than 30 minutes

On premises

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

TotalRuralUrban

NDHS, 2008 % of households

Electricity

Without electricity

With electricity

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

TotalRuralUrban

% of householdsNDHS, 2008

Flooring Material

Earth

Palm/ bamboo

Others

Cement

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

TotalRuralUrban

% of householdsNDHS, 2008

Roof material

Others

Nipa

Galvanized Iron

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

TotalRuralUrban

% of householdsNDHS, 2008

Wall materials

Others

Bamboo

Plywood

Cement

Cement blocks

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

TotalRuralUrban

% of householdsNDHS, 2008

Tenure status of lot

Rent-free without owner consent

Rent-free with owner consent

Rented

Owned/ being amortized

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Series 3RuralUrban

% of householdsNDHS, 2008

Cooking Fuel

Others

Wood

Charcoal

LPG

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

TotalRuralUrban

% of householdsNDHS, 2008

Household Effects

Computer

Karaoke

CD player

Refrigerator

Washing Machine

Cell phone

Landline

TV

Radio

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

TotalRuralUrban

% of householdsNDHS, 2008

Facilities Visited

Alternative/ non-medical

Local public hospital

Regional hospital

Private clinic

Private hospital

RHU/ BHC

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

TotalRuralUrban

% of householdsNDHS, 2008

Facilities Visited

Alternative/ non-medical

Local public hospital

Regional hospital

Private clinic

Private hospital

RHU/ BHC

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

1st2nd3rd4th5th

% of householdsNDHS, 2008

Child Delivery Attendants

(2008, NDHS)

Doctor Nurse Midwife Hilot Others0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban

Rural

Phil.% o

f h

ouse

hol

ds

Child Delivery Attendants by Income Quintiles (2008, NDHS)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

% o

f ho

useh

olds

Doctor Nurse Midwife Hilot Others

LowestSecondThirdFourthFifth

Child Delivery Attendants by Region (2008, NDHS)

NCR I III IVB VI

VIII X XII

ARMM

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

DoctorNurseMidwifeHilot

% o

f ho

useh

olds

Location of Child Delivery (2008,

NDHS)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

% o

f ho

useh

olds

Govt Hospital Private Hospital Home

UrbanRuralPhil.

Location of Child Delivery by Income Quintile (2008, NDHS)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

% o

f ho

useh

olds

Govt Hospital Private Hospital Home

LowestSecondThirdFourthFifth

Location of Child Delivery by Region (2008, NDHS)

NCR I III IVB VI

VIII X XII

ARMM

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Government HospitalPrivate HospitalHome

% o

f ho

useh

olds

Problems in Women’s Access to Health Care (2008, NDHS)

0 20 40 60 80

Need permission

Money

Distance

Need to take transpo

No one to go with

Maybe no female provider

Maybe no provider

Maybe no drugs

Phil.RuralUrban

% of women

Poverty as severe basic needs deprivation

Poverty as severe entitlements deprivation

Basic Needs Deprivation

Different sectors have different ways of accessing basic needs.

If poverty is defined as basic needs deprivation, different poverty sectors have different forms of poverty.

Differences in entitlements and differences in deprivations among poverty groups necessitate differentiated solutions.

Poverty as Severe Entitlement Failure

Leland R. Dela Cruz

Director, Development Studies Program

Poverty as Severe Entitlement Failure

Leland R. Dela Cruz

Development Studies Program

School of Social Sciences

Ateneo de Manila University

updated June 12, 2010

Other References

National Demographic and Health Survey, 2008

United Nations-Philippines (2002), Rights Based Approach to Development Programming, Training Manual