Jordanian citizens are no exception - ahousehold survey conducted in Jordan in 2011 found thatroughly 20 percent of families had a member experience alegal problem in the previous five years. Legal problems,left unaddressed, can cause an economic or social shock thatpushes vulnerable persons into poverty. From an equitystandpoint, the poor and near-poor need equal access toservices that subsequently enhance opportunities to exercisetheir rights. Taking the equity argument a step beyond equalaccess to existing services, governments should developspecial services that target the specific needs of the poorin resolving legal problems. Defining the relationshipbetween legal problems and poverty is not a simple task. Thefirst step is identifying the types of legal problems thatare most likely to affect the poor and the near poor, andcomparing this with wealthier citizens. The second step isto identify within this group the types of cases that aremost likely to have some kind of poverty impact on the poorand near-poor. Greater knowledge of this relationship willhelp policymakers develop the appropriate tools to addressthese problems.
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