The debate on globalization, poverty, and inequality: why measurement matters

Martin Ravallion

No 3038, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: In the last year or so, markedly different claims have been heard within the development community about just how much progress is being made against poverty and inequality in the current period of"globalization."Ravallion provides a nontechnical overview of the conceptual and methodological issues underlying these conflicting claims. He argues that the dramatically differing positions taken in this debate often stem from differences in the concepts and definitions used and differences in data sources and measurement assumptions. These differences are often hidden from view in the debate, but they need to be considered carefully if one is to properly interpret the evidence. The author argues that the best available evidence suggests that if the rate of progress against absolute poverty in the developing world in the 1990s is maintained, then the Millennium Development Goal of halving the 1990 aggregate poverty rate by 2015 will be achieved on time in the aggregate, though not in all regions. He concludes with some observations on the implications for the more policy-oriented debates on globalization and pro-poor growth.

Keywords: Services&Transfers to Poor; Health Economics&Finance; Environmental Economics&Policies; Economic Conditions and Volatility; Poverty Monitoring&Analysis; Safety Nets and Transfers; Rural Poverty Reduction; Governance Indicators; Achieving Shared Growth; Services&Transfers to Poor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2003-05-31
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev and nep-ltv
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (89)

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Journal Article: The Debate on Globalization, Poverty and Inequality: why Measurement Matters (2004)
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