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Paper short abstract:

Stigma may be relieved and dignity may be enhanced by anti-poverty policies but could also be harmful. This study underscores the importance of contextual factors modifying poverty-induced stigma and dignity, and calls for a nuanced approach to reduce stigma and centre dignity.

Paper long abstract:

The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated poverty in Bangladesh, reversing the country's previously declining poverty rates and pushing millions into poverty, especially in low-income urban areas. Poverty is strongly linked with stigma, which manifests in economic, mental, and social inequalities, and undermines dignity. Stigma may be relieved, and dignity may be enhanced by policies seeking to reduce poverty, but could also be harmful by the ways in which interventions are designed and implemented.

This study uniquely explores the intersection between poverty, stigma and dignity in Dhaka, Bangladesh, using mixed-methods research. It introduces the Poverty Stigma and Dignity framework, highlighting the layers of stigma at intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural levels, and their effects on dignity and well-being. It offers insights from primary qualitative data about experiences of poverty and social protection efforts to tackle it, with specific learnings from a low-income urban context. The study underscores the importance of understanding the contextual factors modifying poverty-induced stigma and dignity, and calls for a nuanced approach in designing interventions to alleviate poverty, reduce stigma and centre dignity.