Multidimensional poverty: Measurement, analysis, applications’

This chapter provides an introduction to multidimensional poverty measurement, analysis, and applications. It outlines the conceptual and ethical motivations of multidimensional poverty measurement and draws on empirical evidence and policy-uses to suggest the value-added that multidimensional metrics bring to measurement and poverty alleviation strategies. The chapter also offers a concise overview of the steps ordinarily necessary for the construction of multidimensional poverty measures. The chapter then covers step-by-step guidance on the application of the Alkire-Foster method, the currently most widely used method for the calculation of so-called Multidimensional Poverty Indices and their associated information platform. It then introduces key analytical methods developed to test the sensitivity and robustness of multidimensional poverty measures to alternative specifications of key measurement parameters. Some prominent methods and research questions of multidimensional poverty analyses, including trends analysis, comparisons with unidimensional monetary measures, disaggregations, and regression analyses are then reviewed. The chapter then describes some prominent applications of multidimensional poverty measures around the world, including academic contributions, official government statistics, and those produced by intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. This includes applications for particular countries or contexts and the measurement of associated concepts such as well-being, empowerment, or vulnerability as well as applications for particular populations or subgroups. The chapter concludes by proposing pivotal areas for further research.