Poverty: Reflections on the Phenomenon

Abstract

This article aims at presenting reflections on poverty in capitalism. Some accounts of the phenomenon are highlighted with special focus on the socio-democratic and Marxist ones. The limitations of the accounts put forth by the socio-democrats are shown, particularly in respect to their understanding of the reduction, or even the elimination, of the phenomenon within the social system of capitalism. Such a process of reduction or elimination has the State as its central element and as its basic presupposition the possibility of the capital control. The Marxist account of the phenomenon departs from the understanding that the capital is an uncontrollable system and that poverty is a condition of the system, which goes against the proposition that it allows for a progressive and sustainable reduction of poverty, or its eradication. In this respect, the processes of reduction of poverty are always specific to places and situations. The importance of discussion on the issue is indisputable in that the global statistics point to the fact that, in the first years of the current century, 50% of the world population lives in this condition. Propositions dissociated from an analysis of the logic of production and reproduction of the capital, even when critical, eventually serve as instruments of maintenance of the status quo. Thus, reflecting on such propositions contribute to a better understanding of the possibilities of humankind to overcome poverty, considered one of its most serious problems. This article is structured in six sections. In the first one we present several concepts of poverty, in the next two sections the core is, respectively, the social-democracy and Marxist views. The fourth section comprehends a critical discussion on the social democracy approach and its public policy propositions while the fifth deepens the marxist perspective. Finally the sixth section
presents our conclusions.