Multidimensional Indices of Achievements and Poverty: What Do We Gain and What and What Do We Lose?

Nora Lustig

Working Papers from eSocialSciences

Abstract: Poverty and well-being are multidimensional. Nobody questions that deprivations and achievements go beyond income. There is, however, sharp disagreement on whether the various dimensions of poverty and well-being can be aggregated into a single, multidimensional index in a meaningful way. Is aggregating dimensions of poverty and well-being useful? Is it sensible? Here 3 papers are summarized and contrasted that respond to these questions in strikingly different ways. The papers are “The HDI 2010: New Controversies, Old Critiques†by Jeni Klugman, Francisco Rodríguez and Hyung-Jin Choi; “Understandings and Misunderstandings of Multidimensional Poverty Measurement†by Sabina Alkire and James Foster; and “On Multidimensional Indices of Poverty†by Martin Ravallion. [Working Paper No. 262]. URL:[http://www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/1425366].

Keywords: poverty; HDI; poverty measurement; multidimensional poverty; deprivation; axioms; Human Development Index; capabilities; substitutability; trade-offs; welfare; country classifications; well-being; income; globalization; poor; Gross National Income replaces; GDP; per capita; social welfare function (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-08
Note: Institutional Papers
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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