Poverty and Stigma in Urban Bangladesh: Conceptual Contributions and Empirical Explorations

<p dir="ltr">Against the backdrop of an increase in urban poverty following the Covid-19 pandemic, this article explores the intersection between poverty and stigma in high-density low-income neighbourhoods in Dhaka and Chattogram, Bangladesh. Its contribution is twofold. First, it introduces the Poverty Stigma Framework as a new and necessary conceptual tool to unpack context-specific moderators of stigma at intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural levels, and their effects on dignity and wellbeing. Second, it offers unique insight into the ways in which these moderators manifest themselves in the specific context of poverty in an urban setting. Drawing on a combination of primary qualitative and quantitative data, findings point to identity, place, time and duration, mitigation strategies, and policy design and implementation as crucial factors in moderating the experience of stigma in relation to poverty. The article underscores the importance of understanding the contextual factors modifying poverty-induced stigma and calls for a nuanced approach in designing interventions to alleviate poverty. Furthering our empirical understanding and expanding the conceptual toolbox to facilitate those understandings is imperative to make efforts to reduce poverty more effective and dignified, and thereby support socioeconomic development at large.</p>