Review article
Structural Causes of Poverty in the Republic of Croatia in Light of the Option for the Poor
Petar Tomašić
Abstract
The option for the poor has a powerful theological foundedness and ought to incite Christians to concrete activity in their immediate environment. In order to be of assistance, Christians must first identify the impoverished in Croatian society today. Therefore this article expounds the problem of poverty in Croatia with an interdisciplinary approach based on empirical research. Sociological research reveals who the poverty-stricken are and why they find themselves in the state of privation. Poverty is often a consequence of unemployment. Social exclusion and the lack of higher education creates greater difficulty in finding a job and tends to be a factor leading to poverty. Poor families are not able to provide their children with favourable conditions for an education such that poor children who have dropped out of the education system have substantially lower chances of finding well-paid jobs. Croatian society lacks adequate social sensitivity and does not assist impoverished children sufficiently, hence the reproduction of poverty. Christians are called to recognize their neighbours in distress, however, in order to be able to offer effective assistance, the causes of poverty must be known. Elimination of causes can resolve the problem itself.
Keywords
poverty; option for the poor; structural causes of poverty; unemployment; social exclusion; reproduction of poverty; education
Hrčak ID:
59180
URI
Publication date:
14.10.2010.
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