Poverty on Unstable Ground: Structures, Experiences, and Narratives in Portuguese Society

https://doi.org/10.60543/ts_iss.vi10.11637

  • Jacqueline Marques Universidade Lusófona- Centro Universitário de Lisboa | Centro de Investigação LusoGlobe
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60543/ts_iss.vi10.11637
Keywords: Poverty, Inequalities, Neoliberalism, Social Policies, Citizenship

Abstract

Poverty continues to be widely interpreted as a lack of income or as the result of individual life trajectories. Drawing on the metaphor of a house built on unstable ground, this article conceptualises poverty as a structural and multidimensional phenomenon produced through the interaction of economic and social inequalities, public policies, and power relations.

The article takes the form of a theoretical essay grounded in a critical review of the literature and the analysis of national and international statistical indicators. It examines the main theoretical approaches to poverty, the instruments used to measure it, the Portuguese context, and the role of public policies in addressing social inequalities. The article argues that poverty is neither a natural condition nor an exclusively individual problem, but rather the outcome of structural mechanisms that generate and reproduce vulnerabilities. It concludes that tackling poverty requires integrated strategies that combine redistribution, the guarantee of social rights, the strengthening of the welfare state, and the reduction of social inequalities.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Jacqueline Marques, Universidade Lusófona- Centro Universitário de Lisboa | Centro de Investigação LusoGlobe

Jacqueline Ferreira Marques é licenciada em Serviço Social pelo Instituto Superior de Serviço Social de Coimbra (1997), instituição onde concluiu também o Mestrado em Serviço Social (2003), sob orientação do Professor Doutor Carlos Tomaz Jacques. Em 2016 obteve o Doutoramento em Serviço Social pela Universidade Lusíada, sob orientação da Professora Doutora Fernanda Rodrigues e da Professora Doutora Marina Antunes.

Iniciou a sua atividade profissional como assistente social em 1997 e exerce funções docentes no ensino superior desde 2000. Ao longo do seu percurso académico colaborou com diversas instituições de ensino superior, entre as quais o Instituto Superior Miguel Torga, a Universidade Católica Portuguesa, o Instituto Politécnico de Gaya, o Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, o Instituto Superior de Serviço Social do Porto e a Universidade de Coimbra, onde lecionou durante cerca de treze anos.

Atualmente é Professora Auxiliar na Universidade Lusófona - Centro Universitário de Lisboa, onde leciona na Licenciatura em Serviço Social e no Mestrado em Serviço Social e Política Social. Desenvolve investigação nas áreas das políticas sociais, da pobreza e exclusão social, da identidade e competências profissionais do Serviço Social e das desigualdades sociais.

Published
2026-07-29
How to Cite
Marques, J. (2026). Poverty on Unstable Ground: Structures, Experiences, and Narratives in Portuguese Society: https://doi.org/10.60543/ts_iss.vi10.11637 . "Temas Sociais" Journal , (10), 24-52. https://doi.org/10.60543/ts_iss.vi10.11637
Issue
No. 10 (2026): Temas Sociais n.º 10
Section
Artigos

Open Access Policy

Temas Sociais Journal is an open access journal, providing free, immediate and unrestricted access to its contents, with the aim of promoting the circulation of scientific knowledge and academic exchange at national and international levels.

By submitting their manuscripts, authors authorize the publication, dissemination and public communication of their work within the scope of the journal, while retaining full responsibility for the content of the submitted manuscripts.

Copyright

Authors retain copyright over their works and grant Temas Sociais Journal the right to publish, reproduce, disseminate and archive the contents in digital format, in accordance with the journal’s editorial policy and open access principles.

Any reuse of published content must comply with the conditions established by the journal and with applicable copyright legislation.

Code of Ethics and Good Practices

Temas Sociais Journal is committed to the ethical principles of research and scientific publishing, promoting academic integrity, editorial transparency, and equal opportunities in access to knowledge. To this end, it adopts the following Code of Ethics and Good Practices:

  1. Submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and of exclusive authorship, and must not have been previously published, disseminated, or submitted to another journal.

  2. Authors are responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions for the publication of their work and for properly acknowledging all sources and references used.

  3. Research resulting from external funding must ensure, where applicable, authorization for the dissemination of the results.

  4. All submitted manuscripts are subject to plagiarism detection, using the tool in force at the Universidade Lusófona – Centro Universitário de Lisboa.

  5. Articles are evaluated by external peer reviewers with expertise in the relevant field, under a double-blind peer review system, ensuring the anonymity of both authors and reviewers throughout the process.

  6. Research involving human participants must ensure informed consent, strict respect for data confidentiality, and, where applicable, approval by an Ethics Committee.

  7. Authorship must reflect exclusively those individuals who have made a significant intellectual contribution to the conception and execution of the research, analysis of results, drafting of the manuscript, and approval of the final version.