Exploring the Politics of Chronic Poverty: From Representation to a Politics of Justice?

Chronic poverty is an inherently political problem. Its persistence over time reflects its institutionalization within social and political norms and systems, its legitimation within political discourse and by political elites, and the failure of the poorest groups to gain political representation therein. The different ways in which extreme forms of poverty and the poorest are politically “represented” contributes significantly to understanding the ways in which politics both reproduces and reduces poverty. However, gaining voice and material progress for the poorest groups may require more than a politics of representation, and we advocate here for poverty reduction to be relocated within a broader political project of justice.