工业革命以来全球贫困面貌的演变--概念、测量与时空比较

The Evolution of Global Poverty since the Industrial Revolution-Concept,Measurement and Comparative Analysis

从贫困概念、贫困测量方法和贫困发生率三方面开展历时分析和跨地域比较,可刻画出工业革命发生200多年来全球贫困面貌的演变。在概念方面,人类对绝对贫困的认知从“一维”转向“多维”,高收入经济体逐渐重视相对贫困,后转向关注多维相对贫困。在测量方法方面,绝对贫困的测量侧重基本生存需要,相对贫困的测量侧重收入不平等,两种方法逐渐融合。在贫困发生率方面,按照基本生存需要的测量标准,200年来全球极端贫困发生率大幅下降,20世纪中后期高收入经济体的极端贫困发生率降至极低水平,而按照更高水平的测量标准,中、低收入经济体的绝对贫困问题始终挥之不去,即便高收入经济体依然有一定的贫困发生率。贫困概念离不开一个反映基本生存需要的“绝对内核”。应全面理解贫困绝对性和相对性的关系,并注意贫困测量方法的国情适用性问题。

This paper conducts a temporal and cross-regional comparative analysis of the concept,measurement,and incidence of poverty,and describes the evolution of the global poverty landscape over the past two centuries since the Industrial Revolution.In terms of concept,human perception of absolute poverty has shifted from"one-dimensional"to"multidimensional",and high-income economies have gradually focused on relative poverty,and later on multidimensional relative poverty.In terms of measurement methods,the measurement of absolute poverty focuses on basic survival needs,while the measurement of relative poverty focuses on income inequality,and the two methods gradually merge.In terms of poverty incidence,according to the basic survival needs measure,the global incidence of extreme poverty has declined significantly over the past two centuries,with the incidence of extreme poverty in high-income economies falling to very low levels in the mid-to late-twentieth century.According to the higher-level measures,the problem of absolute poverty is still lingering in low-and middle-income economies,and even high-income economies still have a certain incidence of poverty.The concept of poverty cannot be separated from an"absolutist core"reflecting basic survival needs.The relationship between the absolute and relative nature of poverty should be comprehensively understood,and national applicability of poverty measurement methods should be noted.