Multidimensional poverty analysis: Looking for a middle ground

By: Francisco Ferreira (IWorld Bank and IZA) and Maria Ana Lugo (IWorld Bank)

URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:inq:inqwps:ecineq2012-251&r=ltv

Widespread agreement that poverty is a multifaceted phenomenon, encompassing deprivations along multiple dimensions, clashes with often vociferous disagreement about how best to measure these deprivations. Drawing on the recent literature, this short note proposes three methodological alternatives to the false dichotomy between scalar indices of multidimensional poverty, on the one hand, and a “dashboard†approach that looks only at marginal distributions, on the other. These alternatives include simple Venn diagrams of the overlap of deprivations across dimensions, multivariate stochastic dominance analysis, and the analysis of copula functions, which capture the extent of interdependency across dimensions. Examples from the literature on both developing and developed countries are provided.
Keywords: Multidimensional poverty, dependency structure, copulas.

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The Economics of Child Well-Being

By: Conti, Gabriella (University of Chicago); Heckman, James J. (University of Chicago)

URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp6930&r=ltv

This chapter presents an integrated economic approach that organizes and interprets the evidence on child development. It also discusses the indicators of child well-being that are used in international comparisons. Recent evidence on child development is summarized, and policies to promote child well-being are discussed. The chapter concludes with some open questions and suggestions for future research.
Keywords: child development, human capital, early childhood education