Economy
A group of academics led by Luis Pedro España, a sociologist and researcher with the Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB), conducted a study about poverty in Venezuela which compares data from 1998-2008, and the result is not entirely positive.

In the study period, poverty declined from 56.33 percent to 48.14 percent of the total population, which equals to 10 million people. However, the households living in extreme poverty only decreased by 3 percent, and they account for "a little more than 3,000,000 Venezuelans," said España during a forum organized by financial consulting firm Veneconomía to assess economic trends in Venezuela.

The survey shows that Venezuela's economic growth in 2004-2008 unleashed a wave of social mobility that was primarily cashed in on by the people who were most prepared to take advantage of oil revenues.

"The government lacks policies to distribute revenues among the poorest strata of the Venezuelan population. The claims that they were the most favored sector of the population are a myth," said España.

"We found that the quality of life of the households in extreme poverty has worsened. Ten years ago, 9 percent of the families in extreme poverty lived in houses with earth floor; the percentage has increased to 22 percent. At the same time, the proportion of households lacking running water increased from 40 percent to 60 percent," said the professor.

The authors of the study developed an index to measure poverty, which is composed of variables such as household characteristics, services, average education, a private car and household income.

In general, a family in extreme poverty in the stratum E has a gas stove, a TV set, primary education and a monthly income not exceeding USD 418.6, at the official exchange rate of VEB 2.15 per USD.

The stratum D has a refrigerator, a DVD player and, in some cases, secondary education, while the revenues of the people in the layer C exceed two food baskets; in their homes, there are two people per room and, in some cases, they own a car.

The revenues of the people in stratum B exceed five food baskets. In 2008, the food basket amounted to USD 417.77.

One of the most striking findings of the study is that 10 years ago, only 25 percent of the people in stratum B lived in poor neighborhoods and now the ratio has increased to 57 percent.

"Now you can find in impoverished neighborhoods such as Antímano or San Agustín (Caracas) families whose income exceeds five or six times the cost of a food basket. Some of the members of the families have a professional career. The lack of housing prevents them from moving out; they have no place to go," España explained.

Regarding the government's social programs known as missions (misiones), España said that "they have not had a major impact in reducing poverty. We have found that 73 percent of the revenues of households in stratum E do not come from the government. Transfers from the public sector are not focused and are not as huge as commonly thought."

Translated by Gerardo Cárdenas

Víctor Salmerón
EL UNIVERSAL