文化多样性与反贫困政策

Cultural diversity and anti-poverty policy

本文考察了反贫困政策以往如何思考文化的作用,以及应当如何思考。虽然有些学者已经将贫困解释为所谓穷人文化上的缺损或特色的一种影响,但我们提出,这些解释不具说服力,而且政策应对文化与行为之间的关系有更广阔、更缜密的理解。事实上,我们认为,也许可以将文化差异积极地运用到综合性的反贫困策略当中。

This article examines how anti-poverty policy has considered the role of culture and how it ought to do so. While some have explained poverty as a function of the presumed cultural deficiency or distinctiveness of the poor, we suggest that these explanations have not been convincing and that policy requires a broader and more sophisticated understanding of the relationship between culture and behaviour. In fact, we suggest that cultural differences may be positively employed in comprehensive anti-poverty strategies.