Measuring What Matters: Constructing the Multidimensional Deprivation Index

Roger White ()
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Roger White: Whittier College

Chapter Chapter 2 in Deprivation in America, 2026, pp 21-41 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract This chapter outlines the construction of the Multidimensional Deprivation Index (MDI). Drawing on the Alkire-Foster methodology and adhering to the best practices proposed by White and Lee-Niegas, a transparent and policy-relevant approach to identifying and quantifying multidimensional deprivation in the United States is presented. The Index captures disadvantage across four equally weighted dimensions: economic security, education, health, and housing, with each dimension composed of two equally weighted indicators. The dual-cutoff strategy used to determine who is multidimensionally deprived is described, along with the aggregation methods and validation procedures that guide indicator selection, including thresholds for inclusion and checks for redundancy and overlap. To illustrate the construction process, sample calculations of the MDI and related metrics are included. Formalizing the Index and establishing its methodological foundations lays the empirical groundwork for analyzing the scope and structure of multidimensional deprivation across the U.S. population.

Keywords: Alkire-Foster methodology; Dimensions of well-being; Dual-cutoff method; Economic security; Education; Health; Housing; Indicators of well-being; Multidimensional Deprivation Index (MDI); Social statistics; Survey research; Thresholds and cutoffs; Validation procedures (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:gpochp:978-3-032-19879-2_2

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-19879-2_2

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