 Comparing Poverty Rates Internationally: Lessons from Recent Studies in Developed CountriesThe World Bank Economic Review, 1991, vol. 5, issue 1, 3-21 Abstract: Studies comparing poverty in different countries frequently inform the evaluation of past policies and the formulation of future policies for reducing poverty. If the comparisons are to be a valid foundation for such assessments, in particular if they are to be a guide to the effective allocation of funds, the underlying concepts must be examined and defined. This article discusses four issues that are critical in this respect: the choice of poverty indicator, the determination of the poverty line, the unit of analysis, and the choice of equivalance scale. A selection of studies of poverty in countries that belong to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is used to show how the choices made in defining these indicators affect the findings about the extent and composition of the poor population. Although the context is different, the experience of rich countries may yield useful lessons for developing countries. Copyright 1991 by Oxford University Press. Date: 1991 There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it. Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:wbecrv:v:5:y:1991:i:1:p:3-21 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from Access Statistics for this article The World Bank Economic Review is currently edited by Eric Edmonds and Nina Pavcnik More articles in The World Bank Economic Review from World Bank Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK. Contact information at EDIRC. |
Is your work missing from RePEc? Here is how to contribute.
Questions or problems? Check the EconPapers FAQ or send mail to .
EconPapers is hosted by the
School of Business at Örebro University.