While viewing an online lecture for another class, the following quote by American economist Dora Costa came up: “In France, at the start of the Industrial Revolution, one-fifth of the population only had sufficient energy to beg.” As of 2012, there were 141,500 homeless people in France comprising .214% of the total population that year (66 million). Now, in comparing the 25% of people before the Industrial Revolution to the slim fraction of the population in France that is homeless these days, we run into some problems concerning definitions of homelessness. Should we assume that people who have to beg for their food are homeless? I would guess that, generally speaking, the answer is yes, but there are undoubtedly exceptions to such a generalization.
Regardless of definitional issues, .214% of a population is much smaller than that of .25%. What do you all make of this statistic? In the aforementioned lecture, the professor went on to talk about how industrialization has mostly alleviated poverty worldwide. He referenced another quotation that read “The rich became richer, true. But millions more have gas heating, cars, smallpox vaccinations, indoor plumbing, cheap travel, rights for women, lower child mortality…” from Deirdre McCloskey, a professor of economics at the University of Illinois. Our study of homelessness has caused us to, understandably, adopt a rather grim outlook on the condition of the poor and homeless in contemporary life. However, are we really justified in possessing such a perspective, considering how the suffering experienced by poor and homeless people is nothing new, and that modern amenities have perhaps improved such conditions? I mean, peasants in medieval times lived in disease-ridden mud pits! Am I on to something or is the lecture I’ve referenced laced with neoclassical economic brainwashing fluid?
P.S. USC professor of urban economics and public policy Peter Gordon made the online lecture I referenced. The lecture is accessible from Planetizen Courses on planetizen.com, but you need an account to access them… If any of you are interested in watching it, I can provide you with my account info.