Poverty: Definition, Threshold, Measurement Methods and Characteristics

This article examines the conceptual approaches, criteria, and methodological frameworks for defining and measuring poverty as a complex socio-economic phenomenon. The purpose of the study is to reveal the economic essence of diverse poverty evaluation methods – including normative, relative, structural-expenditure, resource, systemic, and subjective criteria – and to analyze their practical application through empirical data from household surveys. The study utilizes methods of systemic analysis, comparative-economic analysis, and statistical grouping. As a result of the research, based on international practices (the USA and European Union countries), the indicators of poverty lines and living minimums are identified, and a comparative assessment of their characteristics is conducted. Furthermore, the specific structural dynamics of turgid and intergenerational poverty in a transition economy, along with empirical outcomes regarding household demographics and consumption behavior, are analyzed. The article concludes with the development of scientific and practical proposals aimed at improving social assistance mechanisms, establishing guaranteed minimum income frameworks, and optimizing targeted social services under modern economic development.