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The article debates on the concept of poverty, trying to emphasize its theological meanings from a Christian perspective. Discussing in its first part the notion of poverty and its theoretical classifications, in its second part the article evaluates poverty from an ethical-religious point of view, showing some practical theological consequences. In its last part the article considers the relationship between poverty and human dignity from the Christian view, starting from the concept of imago Dei and emphasizing love as the main determinant in the fight against poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debate upon development aid policy shows that the material parameter is not enough to measure prosperity and that the effort to overcome poverty must consider a variety of complex factors. Amartya Sen's capability approach has given decisive impulses to this debate and it has changed the view on the relationship between poverty, freedom and development. The research project „Human Dignity and Poverty in Romania‟ intends to find out to what extent a reinforcement of the human dignity could contribute to overcoming poverty. After a discussion about the usefulness of this term in the ethical debates, a distinction between the fundamental and empirical human dignity will be suggested and the empirical human dignity will be again subdivided in internal and external factors. The operationalization of the latter factors with respect to empirical investigations is supported by the content-related unfolding in five dimensions: freedom, relationality, living standard, creativity, values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]