Analysis of Factors Affecting Incidence of Poverty in Families Receiving Support from Aid Organizations: A Case Study of Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation in Fars Province, Iran

Extended Abstract Introduction: Poverty is considered as a horrifying and life-threatening phenomenon as well as a multifaceted process stemmed from social interactions, political structures, socioeconomic strategies, and performance of individuals and groups. It can also be accompanied by a wide range of socioeconomic problems and political instability that can undermine solidarity between individuals and national culture. Therefore, addressing the issue of poverty as well as its associated causes and factors can be regarded as one of the most important roles of governments. Method: This research is a qualitative study using theme analysis method. Considering its objectives, it was exploratory and applied. The study participants included 17 family social workers of Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation (IKRF) in Fars Province, Iran, as well as professors of relevant fields working at universities in the city of Shiraz who were selected using a purposive sampling method. The required data were also collected through semi-structured interviews and then analyzed via continuous comparison methods. Findings: The results of this study led to 14 sub-themes and six main themes as the significant factors affecting the incidence of poverty in families receiving aid from IKRF. The main themes in this study included “Factors related to head of the family: (wrongdoer and unwanted person)”, “Factors related to family: (controllable and uncontrollable)”, “Factors related to governance: (political, legal, citizenship services, and administration of governmental organizations)”, “Cultural factors: (social and belief-related) “Geographical factors: (climate and natural resources)”, and “Economic factors: (internal and external)”. The conceptual model of the study developed based on the themes obtained from the analyses and the thematic network was drawn as follows: Thematic network of factors affecting poverty Discussion: Poverty is considered as a multi-faceted, complex, and long-lasting phenomenon resulting from the characteristics of an individual, family, and the environment which also affects them. Therefore, researchers have investigated poverty reflecting on its various dimensions and categories. Accordingly, this phenomenon has been categorized into “absolute and relative poverty” in terms of its intensity, it has been labeled as “capability poverty” with regard to the level of access, and it has been regarded as “multi-dimensional poverty” based on the variety of factors. Poverty has been correspondingly categorized in the form of “selective and imposed poverty” in view of the role of an individual in the incidence of poverty and also “primary, secondary, and cyclical poverty” in connection with dimension of time. Adopting these categories, researchers have addressed one or more dimensions of the factors affecting the incidence of poverty using economic, cultural, or psychological approaches. The most important innovation of this study, distinguishing it from those in the related literature, was presenting a new categorization of factors affecting the incidence of poverty which could illustrate a comprehensive, localized, and multi-level analysis of this phenomenon. The multi-level modeling made it possible to simultaneously shed light on the causes and factors associated with poverty at individual, family, environment levels for poor families, so that the required strategies to reduce poverty could be adopted accordingly. In view of the authors, poverty alleviation in a society requires concentration on all dimensions and aspects of poverty at all levels. In this respect; considering the roles of an individual, family, and the environment in the incidence of poverty as well as identifying causes and factors associated with poverty have converted it into a multifaceted phenomenon, so that lack of correct understanding of such factors at different levels and also in groups suffering from poverty covered under the umbrella of supporting organizations, can be introduced as one of the barriers to poverty reduction in a country. This issue can also lead to wrong policies, waste of rare economic resources, failure in economic programs for poverty eradication, as well as continued cycle of poverty as a culture and deterred development in a country. Therefore, the main themes and sub-themes obtained from this study could pave the grounds for developing national and provincial programs in order to reduce poverty in society and in families receiving aid from supporting organizations. On the basis of the guidelines released by the World Bank, the key to success in developing national economy is alleviating poverty. Accordingly, it has been emphasized that there is a need to take actions at local, national, and international levels in order to improve opportunities and simultaneously empower individuals and promote security for the poor to fight against poverty, which is the result of the interaction of all economic, social, and political processes that can give a boost to each other in terms of increasing or reducing poverty. In fact, progress in these domains can be the driving force to alleviate poverty. With regard to the findings of this study, it is suggested to take measures at individual and family levels through implementation of empowerment programs for head of the family and dependent members via providing technical and vocational training to unemployed and non-skilled individuals respecting the labor market needs, offering educational and counseling services in accordance with the problems of poor families, giving aid to the youth to get married or supporting poor widowed women to remarry, giving long-term and low-interest loans for employment, orienting jobs and contributing to sustainability of businesses in poor families, providing employment for the poor, in particular educated ones; offering study grants to children of poor families, giving aid to addicts to quit drug abuse, developing social insurance, specially accident coverage and retirement planning insurance, supporting patients in poor families for care and treatment, and meeting housing needs of the poor. In the governance dimension; allocation of more funds and credits to underprivileged and rural areas, development and enforcement of laws in support of the poor in terms of public services by the government, facilitated provision of cheap and easy-to-access services to the poor by the government and its affiliated organizations, supply of health needs and services, roads, water, electricity, gas, and the Internet as well as other infrastructures in far-away villages and underprivileged areas, improving levels of access of the poor to state-run organizations and agencies, delegation of further authority and resources to local officials for poverty reduction, reforms of tax payment systems to benefit the poor, and revisions of supporting systems and policies can be among strategies to alleviate poverty. Based on the findings of this study, in the cultural dimension; strengthening the spirit of social mobility, employment, and entrepreneurship in particular among the poor, utilization of talented elites and entrepreneurs to create job opportunities and reduce poverty, reinforcement of public participation and supporting cooperatives for poverty reduction, boosting the national culture of charity and philanthropy, expanding Islamic economics, especially through restoration and development of zakat, alms-giving, and interest-free loans to help the poor, and emphasis on the culture of supporting and social responsibility are among cultural strategies targeting poverty alleviation. In terms of mitigating the effect of geographical factors on the incidence of poverty, it is suggested to develop, implement, and strengthen crisis management programs in natural hazards risk areas (earthquake-prone, flood-prone, etc.) and also standardize building constructions in order to prevent human and financial losses in case of such accidents. It is also required to do planning for promoting sustainable businesses in accordance with the warm and dry areas with consideration of water resources and air conditions, provide services to mountainous and remote villages difficult to reach, implement programs to stop destruction of forests and grasslands, avoid the waste of water resources specially drinking water, and make more investments in the sector of underground resources, industries, and mines in underprivileged areas with the aim of creating job opportunities. In the end; planning in particular to protect the poor from the effects of inflation and international sanctions, preventing the closure of workshops in deprived and rural areas, developing economic infrastructure in rural and underdeveloped areas, providing the requirements for domestic and foreign investments in such areas, helping small businesses in villages and disadvantaged areas to have access to domestic and foreign markets to sell their products, averting the entry of smuggled goods to control their negative effects on domestic products, blocking the entry of foreign workforce trafficked to Iran, as well as revising the open methods of distribution of national resources and incomes are among strategies to eradicate poverty in the economic dimension. Ethical Considerations Authors’ contributions All authors contributed in producing of the research. Funding In the present study, all expenses were borne by the author and he did not have any sponsors. Conflicts of interest The authors declared no conflict of interest. Acknowledgments In this article, all rights relating to references are cited and resources are carefully listed.