gosh, this is such an interesting post and even more interesting comments!! when I saw the question on poverty in developed countries I looked for the YES, YES, YES option. where is it?? ;p
I think my experience of poverty in developed countries have been quite different in the 2 developed countries I've lived in - singapore and the UK. mainly because the UK has a much, much more extensive welfare and benefits system than singapore, and the welfare model is explicitly rejected by the singaporean government. and yet I've met so many kids (while teaching) whose families struggle to buy them school uniforms and school lunches. so it's a strange situation, singapore is as developed as they come, but it isn't particularly even development. (and worsening in the current economic climate.)
I'm a little staggered by some of the possible definitions of poverty (low to no income, little savings and mostly lots of debt) as this pretty much defines the financial situation of almost everyone I know and myself, i.e. students. yet I wouldn't consider myself poor, nor would most of my friends. are students poor? seems like a cliche, the poor student, but studenthood = poverty? I'm quite ambivalent about this.
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I think my experience of poverty in developed countries have been quite different in the 2 developed countries I've lived in - singapore and the UK. mainly because the UK has a much, much more extensive welfare and benefits system than singapore, and the welfare model is explicitly rejected by the singaporean government. and yet I've met so many kids (while teaching) whose families struggle to buy them school uniforms and school lunches. so it's a strange situation, singapore is as developed as they come, but it isn't particularly even development. (and worsening in the current economic climate.)
I'm a little staggered by some of the possible definitions of poverty (low to no income, little savings and mostly lots of debt) as this pretty much defines the financial situation of almost everyone I know and myself, i.e. students. yet I wouldn't consider myself poor, nor would most of my friends. are students poor? seems like a cliche, the poor student, but studenthood = poverty? I'm quite ambivalent about this.