A human rights-based approach to measuring poverty

Olivier De Schutter

Chapter 1 in Research Handbook on Human Rights and Poverty, 2026, pp 2-21 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter explores the implications for the measure of poverty of a human rights-based approach to poverty, which sees poverty in dynamic terms, as the outcome of societal choices that should be challenged. It reviews the components of such a human rights-based approach, examining successively the principle of accountability, the principle of equality and non-discrimination, and the principle of participation, explaining how taking into account these principles can significantly improve the legitimacy and effectiveness of poverty-reduction strategies. It then focuses on the role of human rights in guiding poverty measurement, which should not be seen simply as a means to quantify existing levels of poverty in a country, but also as a tool to ensure accountability – which requires not only assessing how many people are poor, but also who the poor are, and why they have become poor.

Keywords: Poverty; Human rights-based approach; Economic and social rights; Accountability; Measurement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035350506
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