The realities of disability and poverty in Latin America

Pinilla Roncancio, Monica Viviana (2015). The realities of disability and poverty in Latin America. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Disability and poverty are related: there is a higher risk of disabled people becoming poor and of poor people becoming disabled. Although this relationship is recognised within disability scholarship, there is a lack of empirical evidence particularly in the context of Latin America.
Taking data from five Latin American Countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico), this study tests the hypothesis that households with disabled members have higher levels of poverty compared with other households. Two research designs were used: a small-N comparative variable-oriented design using most-different cases; and a cross sectional design. Secondary data analysis revealed that households with disabled members have higher levels of poverty using direct and indirect measures (e.g. income; subjective and multidimensional indices) compared with other households and that this held true across the five countries studied.
The findings from this research have salience for policy makers internationally. The most important policy implication is that disabled people and their families need to be explicitly included in poverty reduction strategies and their extra needs should be recognised within these policies. Mitigating the risk of poverty for disabled people should be a universal policy goal.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

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