Hanging In, Stepping up and Stepping Out: Livelihood Aspirations and Strategies of the Poor Development in Practice

Dorward, Andrew; Anderson, Simon; Nava Bernal, Yolanda; Pattison, J.; Paz, R.; Rushton, Jonathan; Sanchez Vera, E.

Abstract

In recent years understanding of poverty and of ways in which people escape from or fall into poverty has become more holistic. This should improve the capabilities of policy analysts and others working to reduce poverty, but it also makes analysis more complex. This paper describes a simple schema which integrates multidimensional, multilevel and dynamic understandings of poverty, of poor people’s livelihoods, and of changing roles of agricultural systems. The paper suggests three broad types of strategy pursued by poor people: ‘hanging in’; ‘stepping up’; and ‘stepping out’. This simple schema explicitly recognises the dynamic aspirations of poor people; diversity among them; and livelihood diversification. It also brings together aspirations of poor people with wider sectoral, inter-sectoral and macro-economic questions about policies necessary for realisation of those aspirations.

Citation

Dorward, A., Anderson, S., Nava Bernal, Y., Pattison, J., Paz, R., Rushton, J., & Sanchez Vera, E. (2009). Hanging In, Stepping up and Stepping Out: Livelihood Aspirations and Strategies of the Poor Development in Practice. Development in Practice, 19(2), 240-247. https://doi.org/10.1080/09614520802689535

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2009
• Deposit Date: Jan 20, 2009
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 20, 2009
• Journal: Development in Practice
• Print ISSN: 0961-4524
• Electronic ISSN: 1364-9213
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 240-247
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09614520802689535
• Keywords: poverty, livelihoods, development