Inequality and Poverty:

In recent years, the debate on inequality amongst people and nations has become more intense and wide-ranging. While global wealth is on the rise, there is an increase in deprivation and inequality. Africa, for example, has lost out during the past two decades and inequality and poverty has increased in most of the African countries. The rise  in  inequality  has  led  to a  number  of  deprivations that people across nations have  experienced over  the decades. A discussion on the levels and pattern of inequality is directly related to the study of poverty.  It has been observed that income inequalities are associated with deprivations in other areas like quality of life, availability of health care, education, quality of housing and employment. Poverty can be conceived as absolute or relative. Absolute poverty is defined as lack of income or failure to attain capabilities.  It  can  be  chronic  or  temporary,  is sometimes  closely  associated  with  inequity, and  is  often  correlated  with vulnerabilities and social exclusion. The concepts used to define poverty determine the methods employed to measure it and the subsequent policy and programme packages designed to address it.