Are the poor, as one writer suggests, only those without enough to eat? Or does poverty instead consist of "the inability to buy a beer when everyone else has one"? These two volumes provide a comprehensive summary and annotated bibliography of the issues associated with the definition and measurement of poverty. The discussion is organized around eleven topics in the areas of economics, political science, and sociology. Included are such diverse subjects as the historical evolution of poverty definitions (How did Karl Marx and Adam Smith define poverty?); the "index number" problem; and regional differences in poverty measurement. The annotated bibliography, including both articles and books, primarily covers material written after 1950.
Are the poor, as one writer suggests, only those without enough to eat? Or does poverty instead consist of "the inability to buy a beer when everyone else has one"? These two volumes provide a comprehensive summary and annotated bibliography of the issues associated with the definition and measurement of poverty. The discussion is organized around eleven topics in the areas of economics, political science, and sociology. Included are such diverse subjects as the historical evolution of poverty definitions (How did Karl Marx and Adam Smith define poverty?); the "index number" problem; and regional differences in poverty measurement. The annotated bibliography, including both articles and books, primarily covers material written after 1950.
Each year's poverty figures are anxiously awaited by policymakers, analysts, and the media. Yet questions are increasing about the 30-year-old measure as social and economic conditions change. In Measuring Poverty a distinguished panel provides policymakers with an up-to-date evaluation of: Concepts and procedures for deriving the poverty threshold, including adjustments for different family circumstances. Definitions of family resources. Procedures for annual updates of poverty measures. The volume explores specific issues underlying the poverty measure, analyzes the likely effects of any changes on poverty rates, and discusses the impact on eligibility for public benefits. In supporting its recommendations the panel provides insightful recognition of the political and social dimensions of this key economic indicator. Measuring Poverty will be important to government officials, policy analysts, statisticians, economists, researchers, and others involved in virtually all poverty and social welfare issues.
For anyone wanting to learn, in practical terms, how to measure, describe, monitor, evaluate, and analyze poverty, this Handbook is the place to start. It is designed to be accessible to people with a university-level background in science or the social sciences. It is an invaluable tool for policy analysts, researchers, college students, and government officials working on policy issues related to poverty and inequality.
This impressive collection brings together the most important contributions by some of the leading scholars in the field of poverty measurement. It includes critical papers on what constitutes poverty and associated poverty measures, as well as conceptual and empirical approaches to set poverty lines for both national and international settings. The volume also discusses national and international income poverty measures, multidimensional poverty indices, and ways to capture poverty dynamics. With an original introduction by the editor, this collection will be an essential resource for scholars and students of development economics and social policy.
The final book from a towering pioneer in the study of poverty and inequality—a critically important examination of poverty around the world In this, his final book, economist Anthony Atkinson, one of the world’s great social scientists and a pioneer in the study of poverty and inequality, offers an inspiring analysis of a central question: What is poverty and how much of it is there around the globe? The persistence of poverty—in rich and poor countries alike—is one of the most serious problems facing humanity. Better measurement of poverty is essential for raising awareness, motivating action, designing good policy, gauging progress, and holding political leaders accountable for meeting targets. To help make this possible, Atkinson provides a critically important examination of how poverty is—and should be—measured. Bringing together evidence about the nature and extent of poverty across the world and including case studies of sixty countries, Atkinson addresses both financial poverty and other indicators of deprivation. He starts from first principles about the meaning of poverty, translates these into concrete measures, and analyzes the data to which the measures can be applied. Crucially, he integrates international organizations’ measurements of poverty with countries’ own national analyses. Atkinson died before he was able to complete the book, but at his request it was edited for publication by two of his colleagues, John Micklewright and Andrea Brandolini. In addition, François Bourguignon and Nicholas Stern provide afterwords that address key issues from the unfinished chapters: how poverty relates to growth, inequality, and climate change. The result is an essential contribution to efforts to alleviate poverty around the world.
