Multidimensional Deprivation Research Articles

On the effects of trade on multidimensional deprivation: Evidence from Vietnam’s rice growing households

Welfare and poverty are multidimensional in nature. However, empirical research on the impacts of trade liberalisation on multidimensional welfare is rare. This paper provides one of the first empirical analyses of the impact of trade liberalisation on multidimensional deprivation of rice farmers utilising data from the six waves of the Vietnam Household Living Standard Surveys. Our empirical model captures the direct effects of incomes from farm and non-farm activities and indirect effects of employment, rice price levels, rice production and domestic trade. Results unveil several important new findings which have policy implications. A higher level of export openness is correlated with higher levels of income from farming and non-farm activities. Higher income levels appear to reduce multidimensional deprivation but working in export-oriented industries increases it. Farmers selling rice to domestic private traders generate higher income than those selling to government-owned trading companies. Regional farming productivity, the scale of rice production, crop diversification, and education help increase income and reduce deprivation.

COVID-19, individual wellbeing and multi-dimensional poverty in the state of South Australia.

Research efforts in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic focused on the actual and potential impacts on societies, economies, sectors, and governments. Less attention was paid to the experiences of individuals and less still to the impact of COVID-19 on an individual's wellbeing. This research addresses this gap by utilising a holistic wellbeing framework to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the overall wellbeing of individuals in the Australian state of South Australia through an online survey. The research framework for the survey comprises six dimensions: psychological and emotional health, physical health, living standards, family and community vitality, governance, and ecological diversity and resilience. The results show that most respondents (71%) were able to maintain overall wellbeing during the pandemic. However, more than a half of the respondents could not maintain wellbeing in psychological and emotional health. Further examination of the drivers of inability to maintain overall wellbeing reveals that low-income individuals, younger respondents (aged 18-24) and women suffer disproportionate hardships. Defining poverty in terms of multi-dimensional deprivations in wellbeing enables a nuanced analysis of the unequal impacts of COVID-19 mitigation policies that can be used to improve policymaking.

Children’s multidimensional deprivation, monetary poverty and undernutrition in Ethiopia

Children’s multidimensional deprivation, monetary poverty and undernutrition in Ethiopia

Measuring Social Vulnerability in an Urban Space Through Multivariate Methods and Models

This article proposes a quantitative analysis to measure social vulnerability in a urban space, specifically in the area of the Municipality of Rome. Social vulnerability can be defined as a situation in which people are characterized by a condition of multidimensional deprivation that encompasses multiple aspects of life and exposes population to different risks and hazards produced by natural, environmental, socioeconomic and epidemic factors. The analysis that follows presents the use of multivariate methods and models to provide an index for every dimensions of vulnerability (housing quality, social context, education, employment, urban mobility, social relations and economic conditions) and a global index for mapping social vulnerability. The analysis also succeeds in identifying significant vulnerability spatial patterns and to measure how and if vulnerability can be different in case of an observed heterogeneity in urban space.

Social exclusion in Pakistan: an ethnographic and regional perspective

PurposeThis paper is an attempt to analyze the nature and extent of social exclusion across regions, ethnolinguistic groups and different professions in Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachBy using household level data of Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement Survey, the authors have constructed Social Exclusion Index (SEI) as well as multidimensional deprivation scores across of the households. SEI has been developed by using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) whereas multidimensional deprivation scores have been calculated by following the methodology proposed by Alkire and Foster 2011. In total nine household level indicators related with living standards, education and health have been used for this purpose. In next step the relationship of different household characteristics such as profession of household head region of residence and ethnolinguistic identity has been explored with SEI and multidimensional deprivation scores.FindingsThe empirical results of our analysis show that even after controlling for the income of household, SEI and multidimensional deprivation scores have been found to be significantly different across different professions, different regions and different linguistic groups.Originality/valueThis confirms the prevalence of social exclusion in Pakistani society. Compensatory government policies are suggested as an option to cope with the problem of social exclusion.

Measuring Child Multidimensional Deprivation: A Sustainability Perspective

Child multidimensional deprivation and poverty is a key challenge to achieving sustainable development. The aim of this paper is to present and apply a new composite index for evaluating the progress towards eradicating child poverty: the Child Multidimensional Deprivation Index (CMDI). This index stems from the foundational literature on multidimensional child poverty that is rooted in the work started by UNICEF and based on the seven core dimensions of multidimensional child deprivation, while considering two additional dimensions of environmental sustainability. The CMDI applies a novel method of aggregation that allows for flexibility of substitution between dimensions, therefore overcoming some of the limitations of conventional indices. Results for 24 countries show that most countries experienced a decrease in multidimensional deprivation in the years between 2010 and 2016, but some of the poorest countries saw an increase in deprivation. Additionally, in several countries, the decrease in child deprivation was small. Results also show that investment in social spending is associated with a lower level of deprivation. Investment in the social sector is crucial to achieving this goal and preventing the negative effects of economic and other types of crisis.

Using Multidimensional Poverty Measures in Impact Evaluation: Emergency Housing and the “Declustering” of Disadvantage

ABSTRACT During the past two decades, impact evaluation and multidimensional poverty measurement have gained increasing relevance in development practice and research. The objective of this paper is to propose empirical strategies for using the multidimensional poverty measures proposed by Alkire and Foster (2011. “Counting and Multidimensional Poverty Measurement.” Journal of Public Economics 95 (7–8): 476–487) in impact evaluation. The principal argument for taking this approach is that it provides a means for assessing the effects of social programmes on the simultaneous occurrence or joint frequency of deprivations, what Wolff and de-Shalit (2007. Disadvantage. Oxford: Oxford University Press) call the “clustering” of disadvantage. As the interrelation between functionings tends to bind disadvantages together, social programmes that “decluster” disadvantages could produce benefits that go beyond improvements in multiple wellbeing dimensions individually. These strategies are applied to the evaluation of the NGO TECHO’s emergency housing programme in the informal settlements of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The results show that the programme produces a large reduction in the simultaneous occurrence of disadvantages. Privacy, interpersonal relations and psychological health are the dimensions that contribute the most to explaining the decline in multidimensional deprivation. Sensitivity analyses demonstrate the robustness of the results to changes in the criteria used to construct the multidimensional poverty measure.

A Distributional Analysis of Uni-and Multidimensional Poverty and Inequalities in Ethiopia

This study analyzes uni-and multidimensional poverty and inequalities in rural and small towns in Ethiopia. Unlike the unidimensional measure, the multidimensional measure of poverty shows all the channels through which poverty may manifest itself; it also shows the extent of deprivation. The analysis uses 6 dimensions with 14 indicators to construct a multidimensional index of poverty and inequalities using Ethiopian Households’ Socioeconomic Survey dataset. The study also uses multiple correspondence analyses for determining relative weights in computing a multidimensional index and conducts a stochastic dominance analysis of distribution of poverty for different population segments. The paper sheds light on the degree of inequalities in consumption expenditure and multidimensional deprivations. In addition, it also compares the degree of poverty using the conventional measure of poverty and the multidimensional approach. It also examines the determinants of household poverty status using both unidimensional and multidimensional measures using the logit model. The results show that the intensity, severity, and depth of poverty varies substantially across the 2 measures. The unidimensional measure of poverty shows that 36 percent of the households were poor as compared to 46 percent multidimensionally poor households. Moreover, demographic, regional, and household heads’ characteristics also affect households’ poverty status.

English

The multidimensional apprehension of poverty is largely accepted today given the considerable contribution to understanding and acting against the manifestations of this phenomenon. Amartya Sen’s capability approach is the basis of the recent developments on the subject. In this perspective, the present work aims to study the application of multidimensional deprivation measures on Tunisian data. This paper investigates the nature of deprivations in the country using the measures proposed by Alkire and Foster, based on a two-threshold identification method. Our work proposes measures of deprivation in four dimensions. In addition to the dimension of economic resources, we consider the deprivations in terms of housing, education and health. The study employed the national survey on household budget, consumption and standard of living 2010. The results are useful in identifying the most widespread deprivations and the most vulnerable population groups. In fact, with the monetary approach it is not possible to target all vulnerable groups and to detect all the deprivations suffered by the population. According to the results of this work, the western and southern regions of the country record the highest deprivation rates. The results are also indicative of the most widespread deprivations and the most affected socio-economic groups.   Key words: Capability approach, monetary poverty, deprivation, poverty measurement, Alkire and Foster measures, Tunisia.

Multidimensional Deprivation among Children in India and Bangladesh

Multidimensional poverty among children continues to be a serious issue. The paper examines multidimensional deprivation of children in different age groups based on Demographic and Health Survey data from India and Bangladesh. The extent of child poverty has been measured based on multidimensional poverty approach and multidimensional overlapping deprivation approach (MODA). Further, logistic regression has been used to determine the chances of multidimensional deprivation among children in the two age group, i.e. 0 to 5 years and 6 to 17 years, for both India and Bangladesh. It is found that multidimensional poverty among children is higher in Bangladesh than in India in both age groups. Further, the intensity of poverty remains lower among children in the 6 to 17 years age group compared to the 0 to 5 years category in both India and Bangladesh. Logistic regression results indicate that educated and empowered mothers reduce the chances of multidimensional deprivation of children. The results suggest that there is a need to develop child age-centric, region and dimension-specific social policy to reduce multidimensional poverty among children and to protect the child’s rights.

Influence of Multidimensional Deprivation on the Latent Class of Changing Trajectories: Comparison by Gender Differences

Influence of Multidimensional Deprivation on the Latent Class of Changing Trajectories: Comparison by Gender Differences

Multidimensional Socioeconomic Deprivations of Maternal Health Care Services Utilisation: Evidence from Bangladesh

This paper examines the combined effect of three socioeconomic deprivations: education, wealth, and health on the utilisation of maternal health care services (MHCSs) among Bangladeshi women using the data of Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2014. Both bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were employed in this study. Multivariable logistic regression analysis is used to examine the effect of the multidimensional socioeconomic deprivations on the use of MHCSs. Of the women who had given at least one live birth in the three years preceding the survey, 43% were non-deprived by any dimension; 31% were deprived in one, 20% in two and 6% in all three dimensions. The prevalence of receiving four or more antenatal care (ANC) services was 31%; 38% used facility-based delivery (FBD) and 42% sought skilled birth assistance (SBA). When education and wealth deprivations were combined, women were significantly (P<0.01) least likely to seek assistance from SBA (OR=0.18, 95% CI: 0.14-0.24) and FBD (OR=0.17, 95% CI: 0.12-0.22); and when all three deprivations were combined women were less likely to receive ANC at least once (OR=0.16, 95% CI: 0.12-0.22) than those who were not deprived. Programmes should be undertaken to expand maternal health voucher schemes in more sub-districts and quality of care should be ensured for equal accessibility and availability of MHCSs targeting deprived and disadvantaged areas and women to ensure safe motherhood practices in Bangladesh. Our findings show that the situation of maternal health care in Bangladesh is not satisfactory.Antenatal care

Multidimensional economic deprivation during the coronavirus pandemic: Early evidence from the United States.

The coronavirus pandemic led to a severe economic shock in the United States. This paper uses a unique survey data collected early on in the pandemic to measure economic deprivation among individuals. The Federal Reserve Board fielded a Survey of Household Economics and Decision-making (SHED) in April 2020. This survey is used to compile data on four indicators of economic deprivation, namely: i) Overall financial condition, ii) Loss of employment, iii) Reduction in income and iv) Inability to pay bills in full. Data on these indicators is compiled for each individual and is used in a novel way to construct a set of multidimensional deprivation indices. These indices measure the overlap of deprivations experienced by an individual. Results show that almost 25 percent of the respondents faced hardships in at least two of the four indicators. More than 13 percent of adults reported their inability to pay monthly bills and struggled to make ends meet financially. One in four respondents had lower income compared to income from previous month. The economic shock affected Hispanics in a more profound way. More than 37 percent Hispanics reported hardship in two or more indicators and 8 percent reported hardship in all four indicators. Higher proportion of young adults and those without a college degree suffered multiple hardships. The paper highlights the plight of Americans during the early months of the economic crisis set in motion amid the coronavirus pandemic and sheds light on how economic disparities deepened along racial/ethnic lines.

Overcoming Poverty in Multidimensional Poverty Interventions through Self-assessment and Mentoring

A microfinance organization in Paraguay has developed the “Poverty Stoplight” (PS), an innovative technological tool that allows families to self-assess their level of multidimensional poverty and start an integrated mentoring process whose goal is to empower families to eliminate multidimensional poverty based on what the participants value the most. During the program, a mentor works with participants to design a customized family plan to identify their most significant challenges in order to overcome their deprivations. The PS places human development and poverty elimination as the main objectives for the intervention. This paper has three elements. First, it presents the methodology for poverty intervention and the detailed tool (i.e. a multidimensional metric) used to encourage reflecting and promoting agency. Second, it uses the Capability Approach to explore the potential of the PS intervention to increase agency and decrease multidimensional deprivations. Third, it presents results from an ongoing research project that evaluates the program’s effectiveness in helping participants overcome poverty. This empirical part is based on data collected between August 2015 and June 2017 from over 9,000 microfinance clients and analyzed using the technique of OLS regressions. The results indicate that participation in the program is indeed associated with a higher probability of overcoming multidimensional poverty.

Methodology and Axiomatic Characterization of a Multidimensional and Fuzzy Measure of Deprivation

This article proposes a general methodology to measure multidimensional deprivation in a fuzzy setup. Each dimension comprises multiple dimensional attributes. The methodology is developed in a flexible manner to incorporate any theoretical construct of wellbeing. The new fuzzy membership functions proposed in the method combines the absolute and relative notions of deprivation and take the functional form of normalized and weighted deprivation gaps. A new weight structure is proposed for aggregations within and across the dimensions. Three forms of deprivation indices are discussed: the headcount ratio, the adjusted deprivation index, and the deprivation index. A unified axiomatic framework is discussed for the multidimensional and fuzzy measures of deprivation. Various desired axiomatic properties of the fuzzy membership functions are included as precursory axioms in the framework. The proposed measure satisfies a majority of the desirable axioms.

Impacts of Social Protection Programmes on Children’s Resources and Wellbeing: Evidence from Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) is Africa’s second largest social protection programme; it has public works (PW) and direct support (DS) components. This study evaluates the impacts of PSNP and related ‘allied’ transfers on children’s bargaining power proxied by child resource shares and wellbeing (monetary poverty, undernutrition and multidimensional deprivation). Inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment, which also controls for other correlates of outcome variables, provides the average treatment effect on the treated with alternative specifications and propensity score matching methods used to check robustness. Using Ethiopia’s Living Standard Measurement Study (LSMS) dataset of 2013/14, we find that children in households receiving PSNP transfers have slightly lower resource shares and are poorer than those in non-recipient families. In contrast, children in allied transfers are less poor and less deprived multidimensionally. Under-seven children in families getting PW transfers are more stunted than their counterparts in non-PW families. Lending some support to previous evidence that when women receive exogenous transfers child outcomes improve, we also find that children in male-headed households with PW have lower resource shares and are more stunted while child poverty in single-mother households is slightly lower. The undesirable results may be attributed to inequality in intrahousehold resource allocation, parental labour requirements by the PW and insufficient transfers which require revisions to consider children’s needs.

Multidimensional deprivation in heterogeneous rural areas: Spain after the economic crisis

ABSTRACT We analyse the changes in multidimensional deprivation in very heterogeneous rural areas in Spain during the 2008 economic crisis using multigroup latent class models. Counterfactual distributions are implemented to identify the factors behind the change in deprivation in the different areas. We find that the economic crisis negatively affected direct indicators of the living standards in rural areas. A wide range of differences appears when specific rural areas are studied going beyond the usual dilemma between rural and urban areas. The results also belie the common stereotype that the greatest incidence of monetary poverty in rural areas is offset by better living conditions.

Formulation of deprivation index for identification of regional pattern of deprivation in rural India

Deprivation of socio-economic well-being is one of the major reasons behind the occurrence of regional disparity in India. The present study has attempted to present and compare the regional pattern of deprivation in rural India by formulating a simple summary index of multidimensional deprivation (IMD) at the district level using global principal component analysis (PCA) and a Geographically Weighted Principal Component Analysis (GWPCA). The results of the study show that the east-central heartland of India is the most deprived region. On the contrary, the north and south India are in a much better position compared to the other part of the country. The results of the spatial autocorrelation of multidimensional deprivation (Global Moran's I = 0.748) indicates that there is a statistically significant pattern of spatial clustering that includes four distinct categories (High-High, Low-Low, High-Low, and Low-High). The LISA map shows that 151 districts belong to High-High (deprivation hotspots) and 108 districts come under the Low-Low cluster (deprivation cold spots). High-High cluster group spreads along with the ecologically sensitive areas like the Bastar region, Tarai tract, Chotonagpur region, and Dandakaranya region which are dominated by tribal populations.

Supermarket contracts and smallholder farmers: Implications for income and multidimensional poverty

Food systems in developing countries are changing rapidly with a growing role of modern supermarkets. Supermarkets influence supply chains and the way agricultural products are sourced from farmers. Especially for the procurement of fresh fruits and vegetables, supermarkets often contract farmers directly to ensure consistent and high-quality supply. One important question, which is addressed here, is whether smallholder farmers benefit from supermarket contracts. Previous studies address this question, but mostly focus on income effects without exploring implications for other dimensions of household welfare, such as nutrition, health, or housing conditions. Moreover, most existing studies rely on cross-section data. We add to the literature by analyzing effects of supermarket contracts on income and multidimensional poverty using three rounds of panel data collected from smallholder vegetable farmers in Kenya and econometric models with household fixed effects. On average, supermarket contracts increase household income by over 40%. We also find significant reductions in income poverty and multidimensional poverty. Quantile regressions show that farmers in all income groups benefit, but richer households benefit more than poorer ones in absolute terms. However, supermarket contracts cause the strongest reductions in multidimensional deprivations among the poorest households.

Homeless in Spain: An Analysis Based on Multidimensional Indicators of Deprivation

This paper analyses the situation of the homeless in Spain before and during the Great Recession, using a multidimensional approach based on the construction of a new indicator of their deprivations, inspired by a counting approach mainly developed for poverty analysis. This indicator considers dimensions related to health and social contacts, in addition to purely economic ones. Using data from 2005 and 2012, the static analysis is complemented with a study of the changes experienced by the homeless before and during the Great Recession and how some sociodemographic aspects are related to their probability of being a worse situation of multidimensional deprivation. Results show that the levels of deprivation in the homeless population declined after the Great Recession.