Is Poverty Eradicable? Concept of Natural Poverty

DOI: 10.33917/es-5.203.2025.58-63

The problem of poverty remains one of the most significant in the national and global economies. Today the effectiveness of fighting it is in question, as well as the feasibility of achieving poverty eradication goals. The present study aims to discover whether poverty can be eradicated and, in case of impossibility — to assess the level to which poverty can be reduced. The article proves the impossibility of overcoming poverty not “on paper”, whether it’s absolute, relative or deprivation poverty. In any case, there is always a portion of poor population that, either by their own choice or as a result of destructive or irrational behaviour, doesn’t leave the state of poverty. It is proposed to classify this part of the population as natural poverty. Based on analysis of a number of destructive habits, inherent in individuals unable to escape poverty, it is proved that they possess at least three of the six deviations from socially accepted behaviour studied. The author examines the level of natural poverty in Russia, to this end a method for estimating the level of natural poverty, based on probabilistic approach, is developed. It is revealed that natural poverty in the Russian Federation is declining, especially during periods of crisis, which demonstrates gradual recovery of Russian society.

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