1. Unit 12: Poverty ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS "Eradicating poverty is an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind"

2. SECTION 2 UK POVERTY Is it ethically right to provide benefits to everyone in the UK? What do you think?

3. SECTION 2 UK POVERTY Learning Objectives Identify any ethical considerations when tackling poverty Analyse what solutions are ethical and which ones are not!

4. SECTION 2 UK POVERTY What are ethics? Ethics are the ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ of an issue So the ‘ethics of solutions’ to tackle poverty refers to what we feel is right or wrong when trying to solve it. What ethical considerations or questions might there be in tackling UK poverty?

5. SECTION 2 UK POVERTY Ethical Considerations & Questions Is there an acceptable level of UK relative poverty – not everyone can or should have the same income, standard of living? Should we give out government benefits as it discourages some people from looking for work? Are we restricting a persons freedoms and rights by forcing them to work or work for their benefits? Should more support, financial or otherwise, be used to tackle child poverty as opposed to adult or pensioner poverty?

6. SECTION 2 UK POVERTY Ethical Solutions In previous lessons we have looked at the different solutions to tackle UK Poverty Try and rank each possible solution is terms of ethics – i.e. which solution do you think is fair, right and just!

7. SECTION 2 UK POVERTY Ethical Dilemmas Whilst as students you may think that those individuals in poverty have made the wrong choices in life, it is not always so clear! Read the ethical dilemma and come up with your own ethical solutions

8. SECTION 2 UK POVERTY How can ethical considerations help in the exam? You may be asked a direct question about ethical solutions to tackle UK poverty – if so then put forward your most ethical solution and compare it with the less ethical ones (i.e. raising the NMW and improving education and training may be more ethical than increasing government benefits such as JSA) If you are asked an exam question asking for any solution(s) to UK poverty then bring in your ethical considerations - it would enhance your evaluation mark and concluding paragraph (see example of a concluding remark below) ….“whilst raising benefits would ensure the unemployed, sick and disabled would have sufficient household income to achieve an acceptable standard living, ethically is it right to provide financial support as it can discourage the jobless population to find employment (i.e. the benefits trap).”