Human Agency and Poverty Studying relation between poverty and effective individual action in Marginal population in TABRIZ

This research tries to investigate relation between beliefs, values and life styles of people who live in marginal settlements of TABRIZ with the level of economic poverty. In fact the basic idea of this study is personal choice and responsibility in relation with poverty which is measured by essential indicators of human agency. Theoretical framework and hypothesis are driven out from action theory and other perspectives such as rational choice theory and cultural perspectives of poverty. Research method includes correlation analysis and survey. Data were collected by structured interviews from 390 marginal people of TABRIZ metropolis. Data are analyzed by SPSS software and statistical methods such as Bivariate correlation in ordinal by ordinal cross tab tables, partial R Pearson, multiple regression and path analysis are used. Results show that desire to progress and desire to environmental control have negative correlation with level of poverty. Also attitude towards poverty, Emotional dependence, believe in destiny and conformity positively effect on level of poverty. Multiple regression analysis shows that R square =0/142 and more than 85 percent of variance of poverty cannot be predicted by variables. The most important predictor of economic poverty is desire to progress.