Presentation

In the early 21st century, poverty has been on the decline throughout the developing world, including Africa. It does, however, remain massive and takes increasingly diverse forms, which the concepts of human poverty, multidimensional poverty, precariousness, vulnerability, or capacity poverty attempt to capture. This class, delivered as part of a certificate in poverty analysis, will explore the manifestations and forms of poverty analysis before studying the theories of poverty and closely examining new approaches that have emerged since A. Sen developed his approach. We will then proceed to the analysis of new instruments for fighting poverty, such Inclusive Business, CSR and the integration of activities associating business, the tertiary humanitarian sector and international aid, in which poverty is no longer merely considered as a state of deprivation but as a loss of economic opportunity, of market and consumption potential and of access to individual goods.

Recommended Prerequisite(s)

Some knowledge of economic history and of the literature on the sociology of poverty are required. Students are also expected to read World Bank and UNDP reports.

Bibliography

• Simmel G., Les pauvres, Quadrige, Presses Universitaires de France, 1998.
• Sen A., Development as freedom, 1999.
• Sen A., The idea of justice, Penguin Books, 2009.
• Bénicourt E., Contre Amartya Sen, L’Économie politique, n°23, 2004.
• Paugham S., Les formes élémentaires de la pauvreté, Paris, 2005.

Educational formula

This class takes place in small groups and consists of discussions based on a traditional lecture supported by a well-illustrated PowerPoint presentation. A large selection of documents is available on Moodle to complement the lecture and provide additional analytical elements. The class is intended, more particularly, for students who wish to work on poverty issues in the framework of international organizations, humanitarian agencies or companies involved in IB activities, for example.