Measuring Multidimensional Poverty in Latin America: Previous Experience and the Way Forward

SANTOS, MARIA EMMA

Rosario

Congreso; XLVIII Reunion Anual de la Asociacion Argentina de Economia Politica; 2013

Asociacion Argentina de Economia Politica

This paper states the need to design a multidimensional poverty index for the Latin America region (LA-MPI) that serves to monitor poverty trends in a cross-country comparable way, yet also relevant to the particular regional context. We review the rich experience in the region in multidimensional poverty measurement as well as in Europe. We set a number of requirements for the LA-MPI to satisfy and specify the methodological criterions to follow in order to fulfill such requirements. Drawing from the review, we outline an LA-MPI composed of five dimensions: basic consumptions, education, health, housing and basic services and work and we state the desirable as well as the feasible indicators within them, due to data constraints.