MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY: THEORY AND EMPIRICS

What constitutes poverty transcends the lack of income but generally captures such other subjective and supplementary aspects that represent human functioning and capability. This view enables the design and implementation of policies to alleviate poverty among the poor, especially the riverine households with their attendant risks. Data were obtained from 448 riverine households in South-western Nigeria to examine the level of multidimensional deprivation and poverty among them. The mean household size was 5; fifty-six (56%) having less than minimum 9 year compulsory and basic education; only about 16% of them having members gainfully engaged and about 68% of the household heads engaging in Onshore livelihood activities. Majority (60.3%) of the households suffered deprivation in eight indicators (61.54% of the total possible number of deprivation) and above, all (100%) of the riverine households being adjudged poor in about 6%, 12% and 19% respectively' of the thirteen dimensions of deprivation. At dual cutoff value (k = 8), the adjusted multidimensional poverty rate of the households (M0 = 0.3422); adjusted poverty gap (M1 = 0.1608), and poverty severity (M2 = 0.0761) showed high level of inequality among the deprived households. Conclusively, poverty was manifested in basic standard of living commodities and services among the riverine households as indicated by their low level of education, limited access to hygienic source of drinking water, food, energy, health care, toilet facilities as well as improved means of livelihood.

Analysis of incidence, intensity, and gender perspective of multidimensional urban poverty in Kenya

Farmer–herder conflicts deepen the incidence of poverty and worsen the wellbeing of both farming and herding households in Sub-Saharan Africa. In order to cope with the effects of conflict on their livelihoods, households adopt various adaptation strategies. This paper assesses the effects of adopting conflict adaptation strategies on the multidimensional poverty and subjective wellbeing of farmers and herders using primary data from 500 households (400 farming households and 100 herding households) from two farmer–herder conflict hotspot districts in Ghana. Specifically, the paper analyses the determinants of adopting adaptation strategies, and measures the effect of adopting these strategies on the multidimensional poverty and subjective wellbeing of households using multinomial endogenous switching regression to account for selectivity bias. We found that households’ adoption of adaptation strategies is positively correlated with cattle killing, vulnerability to farmer–herder conflict, household size and labour size, access to land, nearness of farms to cattle grazing routes, access to extension services, and expectations of future occurrence of the conflict. On the other hand, households’ adoption of adaptation strategies is negatively correlated with leisure time, incidences of crop destruction in the past, experience in farming/herding, and membership of farmer-based organisations. We also found that, although the adoption of both on-farm and non-farm adaptation strategies by farming households, and herding and non-herding adaptation strategies by herding households, significantly reduce multidimensional poverty and increase subjective wellbeing. Households’ multidimensional poverty levels are reduced to a greater extent and subjective wellbeing improved if farming households focus on adopting only on-farm adaptation strategies, and herding households focus on adopting only herding adaptation strategies. Hence, interventions aimed at mitigating the effect of farmer–herder conflict on households’ poverty and wellbeing should focus on promoting on-farm and herding adaptation strategies for farming and herding households, respectively.

In the post-poverty alleviation period, the focus of China’s poverty alleviation work has also shifted from single-dimensional poverty to multi-dimensional poverty. This study uses panel data from the western region from 2014 to 2019, uses the entropy method to calculate the multi-dimensional poverty index, constructs an econometric model, and uses Stata software to conduct an empirical analysis of the multi-dimensional poverty influencing factors in the western region. The research results show that regional differences are one of the important factors affecting multi-dimensional poverty, and e-commerce participation has an important impact on the alleviation of multi-dimensional poverty. To this end, this article puts forward suggestions for increasing financial investment, cultivating core talents, paying attention to regional differences, and supporting poverty alleviation industries.

Foremost in the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) of the 2030 Agenda, is the goal of achieving “No Poverty”. With nearly a decade yet to go, it is imperative to know the true nature and extent of poverty so that steps can be taken to eradicate poverty in all its forms. Multidimensional Poverty is a problem that persists on a larger extent in a developing country such as India, particularly among its women. The study uses the Demographic Health Survey data – India’s National Family Health Survey (NFHS), a nationwide survey conducted with a representative sample of women aged 15 to 49 throughout the country, to shed light on the nature and extent of deprivations faced by them. The deprivations faced by the women are measured along the dimensions of education, health and standard of living as per the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) jointly developed by UNDP (United Nations Development Program) and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). Findings reveal that one-fifth of women in India are multidimensionally poor. Further subgroup decomposition reveals that higher levels of deprivations are found in women living alone, with higher age, having more number of children, widowed or divorced, husbands having multiple wives, those having more than one union and married before the legal age of marriage. The Government needs to focus its attention on the most deprived groups of women. Based on the nature and the extent of deprivations that they face, appropriate measures must be taken to bring them out of their destitution.

By employing Alkire and Foster's Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and the Foster‐Greer‐Thorbecke methods of measuring poverty, this paper ascertained both monetary and multidimensional poverty among rural households in South‐West Nigeria. Overall, 50.3% and 40.1% of households were found to be unidimensionally and multidimensionally poor, respectively. The results also revealed that living standards are the highest contributor towards the MPI, followed by access to the internet and education. A probit analysis shows that female‐headed households and those headed by Muslims and particularly the Yoruba tribe are highly affected by poverty. Also, a household head's education, age, and income as well as a household's size significantly contribute to MPI, calling policymakers to prioritize the equal provision of health, education, and internet facilities in rural areas.

The recognition of poverty as a multidimensional concept has led to the development of more adequate tools for its identification. By allowing for subgroup and regional decompositions, those instruments are useful to allocate public action where most needed. This paper applies the Alkire and Foster (2011a) Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to study single-mother and biparental families in Nicaragua, modifying its original structure to match more closely with the country’s current structural problems. Using Nicaragua’s last Demographic and Health Survey (DHS 2011/2012), our multidimensional poverty figures contrast with the government’s national poverty line estimates, suggesting that income poverty overestimates the number of poor people. Thus, our MPI can help as a complement for traditional consumption poverty and Basic Needs analysis; even extending the exploration by using other official household surveys. On the other hand, multidimensional poverty analysis found poverty dominance of male-headed families over single-mother and female-headed biparental families, which serves to contradict the notion of women being more vulnerable than men. Within the MPI, the most important contributor was the Living Standards dimension, composed by indicators directly related to housing conditions, and the second most deprived dimension was Education. A strong policy implication that arises from our findings is the reduction of the urban–rural poverty gap. Specifically, our findings exalt the need for governmental policies directed to reduce Nicaragua’s housing and educational deficits as a priority, particularly in rural areas.

This paper defines Multidimensional Poverty from the dimensions of income, health care and education.Based on the panel data of 88 districts and counties in Guizhou Province from 2014 to 2020, it empirically analyzes the impact of Inclusive Finance on Multidimensional Poverty.The research finds that the development of Inclusive Finance at this stage intensifies Multidimensional Poverty in counties.Among them, the breadth of coverage significantly exacerbates poverty in all dimensions, the depth of use has a positive impact on improving the income of urban and rural residents, and the degree of digitalization has no significant impact on poverty in all dimensions.Regulatory effect analysis finds that increasing public education investment has a positive effect on reducing inclusive finance and aggravating multidimensional poverty.

Based on the provincial panel data of China from 2011 to 2020, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of digital inclusive finance on multidimensional poverty. The research result shows that in the short term, due to the existence of the digital divide effect, the development of digital inclusive finance has deepened the degree of multidimensional poverty; In the long run, digital inclusive finance has played a significant dividend effect, and has promoted the process of multi-dimensional poverty alleviation by reducing the supply cost of financial institutions and the use cost of financial services. The paper provides a useful reference for promoting the development of digital finance, consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation and alleviating multidimensional poverty.

Assessments of poverty among agricultural households in Sub-Saharan Africa often rely on either monetary or multidimensional indicators considered separately, overlooking key structural constraints. This study investigates the determinants of both monetary and multidimensional poverty among agricultural households in Togo. Using nationally representative EHCVM 2021/22 data from 2893 households, monetary poverty is measured using the Foster–Greer–Thorbecke Index, while multidimensional poverty is assessed with the Alkire–Foster method. A survey-weighted logit model is employed to identify the drivers associated with each poverty dimension. Results show that multidimensional poverty (59.40%) is more widespread than monetary poverty (51.50%). Education substantially reduces poverty risk, whereas larger household size, limited market access, and residence in the Savannah region increase it. Economic and natural shocks are negatively associated with monetary and absolute poverty, while cooperative membership raises the likelihood of being poor. Investment in livestock (TLU) reduces monetary poverty but increases multidimensional deprivation. These findings highlight that poverty among agricultural households in Togo is shaped by interconnected socioeconomic and institutional constraints rather than income deprivation alone. Therefore, integrated strategies aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those promoting education, rural credit access, market integration, and resilience-building, are essential for achieving effective and context-specific poverty reduction.

Does financial inclusion contribute to sustainable mountain development by providing access to financial resources and creating economic opportunities for poor mountain people? Keeping this question in mind, the present study aimed to investigate the nexus between financial inclusion and improvement in the living standards of mountain people, and reduction in socioeconomic disaster risks (economic poverty, multidimensional poverty and income inequality). For empirical investigation, the study employed Quasi Experimental Designs, Foster, Greer and Thorbecke poverty measures, Alkire et al. methodology, Gini Index and Quintile technique to assess the impact of financial inclusion on the living standards and reduction of economic poverty, multidimensional poverty and income inequality, respectively. We used the Logistic Regression technique to identify major drivers of socioeconomic disaster risks in the study area. The study collected quantitative and qualitative household level data from 424 households through structured questionnaires using multistage sampling technique for analysis. The findings of the study revealed a positive synergy among inclusive finance and living standards and a negative connection between financial inclusion and socioeconomic disaster risks in the Karakoram valleys of Pakistan. The logistic regression results also recognized financial inclusion as a potential determinant of economic poverty reduction. However, financial inclusion as a potential tool to eradicate multidimensional poverty in the study area showed insignificant results. These findings can help policy-makers and other stakeholders to understand the dynamics of socioeconomic disaster risks and the role of financial inclusion in their reduction to accomplish sustainable mountain development in the Karakoram valleys of Pakistan.

This paper attempts different approaches to analyzing poverty in West Java. The aim is to provide an alternative multidimensional measurement of poverty using Alkire-Foster methods based on 5 dimensions, namely health, education, standard of living, employment and wealth. We estimated multidimensional poverty index (MPI) and identified the poor using the SUSENAS 2020. We constructed the MPI using 19 indicators pertaining to 5 valuable dimensions of well-being. We find that 23% of populations fall below the poverty line. Another interesting result is multidimensional poverty is significantly higher in rural than in urban areas. In 2020, two-thirds of the multidimensional poor people live within rural areas. Indicators having the highest contribution on MPI respectively are years of schooling, informal job, and health insurance.

<sec> <title>SETTING</title> Fifty-five public clinics in northern South Africa. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> To estimate patient costs and identify the factors associated with catastrophic costs among individuals treated for tuberculosis (TB). </sec> <sec> <title>DESIGN</title> We performed cross-sectional interviews of consecutive patients at public clinics from October 2017 to January 2018. 'Catastrophic costs' were defined as costs totalling ≥20% of annual household income. For participants with no reported income, we considered scenarios where costs were considered non-catastrophic if 1) costs totalled <US$7.70 (ZAR100) or 2) a multidimensional poverty index was above a certain threshold. </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> Among 327 participants, the estimated mean TB episode costs were US$365 (95%CI 233-498): out-of-pocket costs comprised 58% of costs, wages lost due to health care-seeking represented 26%, and income reduction accounted for 16% of costs. Ninety (28%) participants experienced catastrophic costs, which were associated with clinic travel times of 60-90 min (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.7, 95%CI 0.9-3.1), unemployment (aPR 2.0, 95%CI 1.0-4.0) and having fewer household members (aPR 0.6, 95%CI 0.3-1.0). </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> In rural South Africa, catastrophic costs from TB are common and associated with distance to clinics, unemployment, and household size. These findings can help tailor social protection programs and enhance service delivery to patients at greatest risk of experiencing financial hardship. </sec>.

Poverty is not just economic issues, but it is a complex and multidimensional problem. Therefore, we need a multidimensional poverty indicators (covering various dimensions of life) as a complement unidimensional poverty indicator (economic dimension) that had been used officially in various countries, including Indonesia. Preparation of multidimensional poverty indicators is done by identifying the dimensions of life that was instrumental in the process of utilization of human beings in the face of poverty. The dimensions are also adjusted and should be relevant to the demands of development, both in the regional context, in line with the ideals of the national government, as well as the demands of international development (SDGs). The method used in the calculation of multidimensional poverty index is Alkire-Foster’s method.

Research Originality: This study advances the field by employing a comprehensive, multidimensional framework that examines the synergistic interactions between economic, social, educational, and political factors. This study also provides a more nuanced and evidence-based perspective on poverty dynamics, moving beyond the oversimplified, single-dimensional analyses that have dominated prior scholarship. Research Objectives: This study aims to examine the impact of educational participation, crime rates, unemployment, access to Islamic financing, and the democracy index on poverty levels in Indonesia. Research Methods: Panel data from 2015 to 2022 is examined using a fixed effects model to identify the key determinants of poverty. Empirical Results: The findings indicate that higher net enrolment rates and increased access to Islamic financing significantly contribute to poverty reduction y, while rising crime rates and unemployment are associated with increased poverty levels. Interestingly, the democracy index shows no statistically significant effect on poverty during the examined period. Implications: The findings have significant policy relevance, emphasizing the need to enhance access to quality education, promote job creation, and expand Islamic financing as an inclusive economic tool. JEL Classification: I32, E24, G21