by Sanjay G. Reddy
T H
E
P O O R
Historically, especially in Latin America,
more effort has gone into assessing the extent of “income poverty”—
whether individuals possess sufficient income to live a minimally
adequate life—than into determining the extent of non-income depri-
vations such as access to water and sanitation, adequate educational
opportunities and basic health care. Thanks to the rising influence of
the “human development” perspective that emphasizes non-income
achievements, greater attention has been given in recent years to such
factors as health status, education, quality of shelter, and access to
clean water. However, whether or not people have adequate resourc-
es to achieve basic requirements continues to be a crucial factor in
determining whether a person is poor. It is hard to imagine a practical
