Case Studies
This is a collection of 25 case studies, consisting of interviews of poor people from several different countries, mostly in Africa and South Asia
This source explains seasonal hunger and poverty, in which changes in the weather during certain times of the year can have an impact on people’s wellbeing and employment.
Households in Poverty: five case studies. The PSE team of this case study filmed with five families living in London, North-East England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
This case study talks about the controversy of the measurement of global poverty in low- and middle-income countries and the “dollar a day” measure used to monitor progress against the Millennium Development Goals.
This case study describes the lives of the poor in the specific culture of the Philippines. The goal of the case study is to show what it means to be poor and to understand the cultural factors that contribute to the human experience.
This source gives an overview of the negative and positive aspects of the Cuban economy. It begins by talking about its dismally low rate of economic growth. Partially due to collapses in the 1990’s and in the global crisis of the mid 2000’s from which Cuba never truly recovered, coupled with an aging population, the economy is growing very slowly if at all. However, it has a high life expectancy, which provides fertile ground for potential growth. Cuba’s doctors are amongst the best in the world, so much so that they send many abroad. This means that Cuba has the potential to become a hub of medical research, if the necessary funding is put into that endeavor.
This source discusses some of the poverty issues Cuba is facing. As is often mentioned with this topic, the economic relationship between Cuba the now-nonexistent Soviet Union, and between Cuba and the US is discussed at length. Of particular note in this article is the discussion of Cuban healthcare. Cuba has a universal and almost entirely free healthcare system. While it produces a great service to the Cuban people for free, it does prevent funds from being used in other social programs. This is a tradeoff that highlights both pros and cons of this healthcare system.
This source contains a study done by the Centro de Divulgación del Conocimiento Económico para la Libertad (CEDICE), which in English means Center for the Dissemination of Economic Knowledge for Freedom, a non-profit think tank that has studied the Venezuelan economy for decades. There is a lot of focus on the seizure of private property, and the lack of recourse. This is important, because in previous decades where Venezuela was among the wealthiest nations in south America, they also had high levels of economic freedom. So, where the economic freedom declined with government policy outlawing private enterprises, so too did the economy of Venezuela. CEDICE, among other things, urges in this article the establishment of property courts, specialized to deal with the seizure of property, to give recourse to those who have had their property seized.
This source takes a humanistic approach to Venezuelan poverty, briefly telling the stories of several people living across Venezuela. It describes both people who are strongly against the current government, blaming president Maduro for the stark drop in the economy under his tenure, and also those who still support Chavez and the revolution, which they say lives on through Maduro. Throughout, the article describes scenes of ruin, with buildings falling into disrepair and people working without pay, sustained only by tips. At the end, the author highlights the extent of the disorder by describing that even the museum dedicated to the late Chavez doesn’t even have lightbulbs in all the rooms, and the guestbook doesn’t have a pencil.
Gripping photos accompanied by captions and a short article. Image shows a young child working on a farm. Child labor is a major issue in North Korea and forced labor accounts for much of the country’s output. Approximately 41% of the population is said to be malnourished. Virtually no one is overweight in North Korea. Many people are forced to beg for money at train stops due to such high levels of poverty.
This source is a report of a group attempting to improve the water quality of wells in impoverished areas
This report talks about links between poverty and climate change
The case study was prepared to provide context of how real families are experiencing poverty in New Zealand.
Report on the Assam tea gardens in India. India accounts for 17% of all maternal mortality rates, Assam’s ratio is the highest in any state. The mothers are dying due to malnutrition.
This is a short case study about the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. It explains that after Thailand’s currency devalued, a chain reaction caused several southeast Asian countries to fall into crisis.
Case study on Foxconn, a Chinese factory that Apple uses to manufacture their iPhones Working conditions are so extreme that there was a suicide epidemic among employees. In response to the suicides, Foxconn put nets around their buildings to catch anyone attempting to jump and Apple offered counseling for employees to vent their frustrations.
This case study highlights important factors involving the diamond mining policies in Africa and provides external links to further reading on each topic. Children are an easy source of labor and make up much of the workforce in the mines. In one province, 46% of workers were between the ages of 5 and 16.
This source is a short, surface level list of several causes of Cuban poverty. It would be fitting to be used as a jumping off point to begin a conversation about Cuban poverty. The causes listed are the US Embargo, an over-reliance on single agricultural products, its lack of allies, dependence on outside forces, and the money it spends on social services.
This report from the Human Rights Watch highlights several different crises facing Venezuela. Poverty and persecution are causing millions to leave Venezuela, often into uncertain circumstances in other countries. In addition, a lack of fair judicial systems allows for many abuses. There is virtually no right to protest, and a lack of accountability for government forces who violently suppress these protests. Additionally, there are many in prison for daring to work in opposition to the government. There is also a health crisis, with a shortage of food and vital medicines causing massive prices and lack of access.
This source describes Venezuela as a ‘Petrostate,’ which is a state with high oil reserves, where the power is in the hands of a few oligarchs and has high levels of corruption. These states often fall into the ‘resource curse.’ Part of the problem that Venezuela had was that there was not already a long standing and strong democratic tradition in the country. so, taking a country where corruption and lack of power in the hands of the people is a prime situation for further corruption with a massive influx of cash from oil reserves.