risicopoor

Risicopoor is a term used in Dutch-language risk and social policy discourse to describe people or households with a low capacity to absorb or manage risks. It focuses on resilience to shocks rather than current income alone, arguing that vulnerability to adverse events is determined by buffers such as savings, insurance coverage, stable employment, and social protection, in addition to exposure to risk factors.

People labeled risicopoor are those who face a disproportionate threat from typical life events—ill health, unemployment, housing costs—because they have limited financial reserves, precarious income, high debt, or insufficient risk pooling via institutions. The concept is used to illuminate how risk and poverty interact, guiding discussions about who is most at risk when crises occur.

The term is often employed in policy design and research to bolster resilience: it supports arguments for accessible insurance schemes, income smoothing measures, savings opportunities, and targeted safety nets. It is distinct from income poverty in that a risicopoor individual can have modest earnings yet limited capacity to cope with shocks, whereas a higher-income household with strong buffers may be less vulnerable.

Critics note that risicopoor can conflate poverty with risk vulnerability and may reflect normative judgments about acceptable buffers. The concept remains most common in Dutch academic and policy writings and has not achieved broad standardization across risk typologies.