Galbraith- The Position of Poverty

What is insular poverty?

“Insular poverty- that which manifests itself as an “Island” of poverty”.( Galbraith 407).Insular poverty is among a large area or community affected by a number of things. Unlike case poverty, where individuals are poor due to their own circumstances, a group of people are poor because something has affected them entirely. Galbraith suggests that the environment or social status of areas determines the poverty of generations and it continues to repeat among those generations because they can not seem to find a turning point in society to build upon. “The most important characteristic of insular poverty is forces, common to all members of the community, that restrain or prevent participation in economic life at going rates of return.” (Galbraith 408). Community’s that offer poor education have a large impact on the upcoming generations of individuals who are trying to change the insular poverty situations around them and for themselves. Insular poverty is very difficult to remove because of all the factors of the environment that play a role in keeping individuals subject to poverty. “But it remains that advance cannot improve the position of those who, by virtue of self or environment, cannot participate”. (Galbraith 409). Galbraith states that those who suffer from insular poverty cannot escape if they cannot participate in the advances suggested or given and this transition is what makes it difficult to remove insular poverty because the majority of individuals can not be changed by political means.


Works Cited
Galbraith, John Kenneth. “The Position of Poverty.” A World of Ideas: Essential Reading for College Writers. Lee A. Jacobs. 7th ed. New York; Bedford St. Martins, 2006. pp 406-413.