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CNN poverty figures
Maureen Korp (mkorp@AIX1.UOTTAWA.CA)
Thu, 17 Oct 1996 15:58:14 -0400
Are these the poverty figures that have been cited several times?
CHILD Poverty rates
US 22%
Canada 14%
Australia 14%
Ireland 12%
Israel 11%
Britain 10%
.....
Switz., Sweden, Denmark, Finland, all 3%
Please note they are CHILD poverty rates. The above is quoted from
today's Ottawa Citizen as part of a front page story reporting the
Catholic bishops' letter lambasting the Canadian governments for failing
to solve "the problem of poverty among women which is the key to
eliminating poverty in Canada." The article went on to say...
"The bishops' statement got some backing from the Washington-based Bread
for World Institute. It has released a study that shows that among the
world's industrialized countries Canada is tied with Australia with a
child poverty rate of 14%....etc."
I found it hard to believe those figures as first cited and wondered what
definition of "poverty" was being used in this anthro-l discussion which I
have only picked up since yesterday. If the above is what the CNN report
was about (teh Bread for World Institute study) then the figures "feel"
right to me...as a country by country study based on individual country
median incomes and income support programs.
Maureen Korp, Ph.D. (now back in Canada after a year teaching in
hard-pressed, but industrialized, Romania)
mkorp@aix1.uottawa.ca
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