Multidimensional Poverty and the Post-2015 MDGs
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This brief proposes the consideration of a Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2.0 in post-2015 MDGs, as a headline indicator of multidimensional poverty that can reflect participatory inputs, and can be easily disaggregated.
Most projections suggest ending $1.25/day poverty would not require much in the way of bending the current trend – so it is achievable. But ending $1.25/day poverty is unlikely to mean the end of the many overlapping disadvantages faced by people living in poverty, including malnutrition, poor sanitation, a lack of electricity, or ramshackle schools.
This brief considers what the MPI, reflecting acute multidimensional poverty, could offer in the context of the post-2015 MDG discussions. Granted there will be other goals – for example, to improve health – each having a bevy of indicators. Yet alongside these, a headline MPI could provide an eye-catching and intuitive overview measure, with easily understood and consistent details on its component indicators. Indeed, an MPI 2.0 could be formed from a ‘voices of the poor’ type participatory exercise.
The MPI 2.0 would complement a $1.25/day measure by showing how people are poor (what disadvantages they experience); in which regions or ethnic groups they are poor; and the inequalities between those living in poverty. It would add value for policymakers, providing political incentives to reduce poverty by reflecting changes swiftly; it could also be used to monitor inclusive growth, and to show the nexus between challenges of poverty and sustainability.
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Multidimensional Poverty and the Post-2015 MDGs
Authors
Sabina Alkire, OPHI and Andy Sumner, King’s College London
