Option für die Armen: Eine ökonomische Perspektive

Poverty is - from an economic perspective − mainly a structural problem, which may be solved with economic growth. After presenting several concepts of poverty we first discuss problems connected with economic growth and show why it makes sense to fight against poverty with structural measures. The fact that there will be losers as well does not make this a priori invalid. Next, by discussing the negative income tax it is shown how economists conceive measures against individual poverty. Then, referring especially to the work of Amartya K. Sen, it is shown that famines are not only (and not even predominantly) caused by natural catastrophes but rather by certain social conditions. We conclude with some more fundamental remarks on the economic analysis of poverty.