More than a decade has passed since the declaration of the 2000 Millennium Development Goals. Poverty is still a hot issue that drives international and national policy debate. Following the Global Financial Crisis, the world has seen the unfolding sovereign debt crises in the Eurozone. Poverty reduction not only concerns (less) developing countries. Developed and developing countries alike share a sense of urgency in reducing poverty. 

This course aims to provide a deeper understanding on poverty:

•       What is poverty?
•       How poor is poor?
•       How to measure poverty?
•       What are the causes and what are the cures?

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 

• know how we fare in fighting global poverty
• gain a understanding of various common measurements of poverty and inequality 
• appreciate the ongoing debates on poverty-related issues 
• understand some poverty reduction policy practices and options 
• identify the key drivers of poverty and the key challenges ahead

Three to four pieces of in-class assessments including presentation and quizzes/mid-term (Learning Outcomes 1-5) 55%

Essay (Learning Outcomes 3-5) 45%

A 2.5-hours weekly class including in-class activities. Students are expected to spend approximately 4-5 additional hours on readings and assignments to complete the course.

This is a Masters level course.

There are no specific pre-requisite courses. Enthusiasm and willingness to explore issues that may be unfamiliar from earlier studies and work experience are highly desirable attributes for students enrolled in POGO 8004

Educational research suggests that students are likely to gain most from research-led education. This course uses current research papers to help students understand the ongoing debates on the concepts of poverty. These readings can help students to understand how research in poverty has led to changing poverty practices so as to introduce them to the issues that are essential for effective poverty reduction policies. In addition, the course is structured in a way that aims at engaging students as active participants. As students engage in doing research and articulating their arguments, they will gain most in terms of depth and understanding. To this end, regular seminars and individual research essay are designed as some of the integrated components of the course.

Reading brick

Students are encouraged to commence reading the material presented in the Reading Brick before classes commence.

Chen Shaohua and Martin Ravaillon (2007). ‘The changing profile of poverty in the world’. 2020 Focus Brief on the World’s Poor and Hungry People, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington D.C., October. 

Ravallion, Martin (2011). ‘Poor, or just feeling poor?: On using subjective data in measuring poverty’, Policy Research working Paper 5968, World Bank, Washington D.C.

World Bank (2011). Global Monitoring Report 2011: Improving the Odds of Achieving the MDGs, Chapter 1 'The Diversity of MDG Progress'.

Caterina Ruggeri Laderchi, Ruhi Saith and Frances Stewart (2003). ‘Does it matter that we don't agree on the definition of poverty? A comparison of four approaches’, Oxford Development Studies 31(3): 243-74.

Access to Wattle and internet

The course will be delivered “on campus” with materials posted in Wattle.