Measuring poverty using qualitative perceptions of welfare

This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data

Measuring poverty using qualitative perceptions of welfare

Author Info

Pradhan, Menno
Ravallion, Martin

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

The authors show how subjective poverty lines can be derived using simple qualitative assessments of perceived consumption adequacy, based on a household survey. Respondents were asked whether their consumption of food, housing, and clothing was adequate for their family's needs. The author's approach, by identifying the subjective poverty line without the usual"minimum-income question,"offers wide applications in developing country settings. They implement it using survey data for Jamaica and Nepal. The implied subjective poverty lines are robust to alternative methods of dealing with other components of consumption, for which the subjective"adequacy"question was not asked. The aggregate poverty rates based on subjective poverty lines come close to those based on independent"objective"poverty lines. There are notable differences, however, when geographic and demographic poverty profiles are constructed.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

Publisher Info
Paper provided by The World Bank in its series Policy Research Working Paper Series with number 2011.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: 30 Nov 1998
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:2011

Contact details of provider:
Postal: 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20433
Email:
Web page: http://www.worldbank.org/
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Roula I. Yazigi).

Other versions of this item:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

Pollak, Robert A., 1991. "Welfare comparisons and situation comparisons," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1-2), pages 31-48, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
- Pollak, R.A., 1990. "Welfare Comparisons And Situations Comparisons," Working Papers 90-11, University of Washington, Department of Economics.
- Pollak, R.A., 1990. "Welfare Comparisons And Situations Comparisons," Discussion Papers in Economics at the University of Washington 90-11, Department of Economics at the University of Washington.
Easterlin, Richard A., 1995. "Will raising the incomes of all increase the happiness of all?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 35-47, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Pollak, Robert A & Wales, Terence J, 1979. "Welfare Comparisons and Equivalence Scales," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 69(2), pages 216-21, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Kapteyn, Arie, 1994. "The Measurement of Household Cost Functions: Revealed Preference versus Subjective Measures," Journal of Population Economics, Springer, vol. 7(4), pages 333-50, November.
Lanjouw, Peter & Ravallion, Martin, 1995. "Poverty and Household Size," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 105(433), pages 1415-34, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
- Lanjouw, Peter & Ravallion, Martin & DEC, 1994. "Poverty and household size," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1332, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
Lipton, Michael & Ravallion, Martin, 1993. "Poverty and policy," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1130, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
Other versions:
- Lipton, Michael & Ravallion, Martin, 1995. "Poverty and policy," Handbook of Development Economics, in: Hollis Chenery† & T.N. Srinivasan (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 41, pages 2551-2657 Elsevier. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Deaton, A. & Grosh, M., 1998. "Consumption," Papers 191, Princeton, Woodrow Wilson School - Development Studies.
Kakwani, Nanak, 1993. "Statistical Inference in the Measurement of Poverty," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 75(4), pages 632-39, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Ravallion, Martin & Bidani, Benu, 1994. "How Robust Is a Poverty Profile?," World Bank Economic Review, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(1), pages 75-102, January.
Other versions:
- Ravallion, Martin & Bidani, Benu, 1993. "How robust is a poverty profile?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1223, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
Foster, James & Greer, Joel & Thorbecke, Erik, 1984. "A Class of Decomposable Poverty Measures," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(3), pages 761-66, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Arie Kapteyn & Sara van de Geer & Huib van de Stadt, 1985. "The Impact of Changes in Income and Family Composition on Subjective Measures of Well-Being," NBER Chapters, in: Horizontal Equity, Uncertainty, and Economic Well-Being, pages 35-68 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
Grosh, M.E. & Glewwe, P., 1995. "A Guide to Living Standards Measurement Study Surveys and their Data Sets," Papers 120, World Bank - Living Standards Measurement.
Stanovnik, Tine, 1992. "Perception of poverty and income satisfaction : An empirical analysis of Slovene households," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 57-69, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
de Vos, Klaas & Garner, Thesia I, 1991. "An Evaluation of Subjective Poverty Definitions: Comparing Results from the U.S. and the Netherlands," Review of Income and Wealth, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 37(3), pages 267-85, September.

Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

Christiaensen, Luc & Scott, Christopher & Wodon, Quentin, 2002. "Poverty Measurement and Analysis," MPRA Paper 11810, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
Christophe Muller, 2005. "Defining Poverty Lines As A Fraction Of Central Tendency," Working Papers. Serie AD 2005-13, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie). [Downloadable!]
Other versions:
- Christophe Muller, 2006. "Defining Poverty Lines As a Fraction of Central Tendency," Southern Economic Journal, Southern Economic Association, vol. 72(3), pages 720-729, January.
Ravallion, Martin & Lokshin, Michael, 1999. "Subjective economic welfare," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2106, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
Paul Shaffer, 2008. "New Thinking on Poverty: Implications for Globalisation and Poverty Reduction Strategies," Working Papers 65, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs. [Downloadable!]
Coudouel, Aline & Hentschel, Jesko & Wodon, Quentin, 2002. "Измерение И Анализ Бедности
[Poverty Measurement and Analysis]," MPRA Paper 10492, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
Lanjouw, Peter & Milanovic, Branko & Paternostro, Stefano, 1998. "Poverty and the economic transition : how do changes in economies of scale affect poverty rates for different households?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2009, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
Mauro Migotto & Benjamin Davis & Gero Carletto & Kathleen Beegle, 2005. "Measuring Food Security Using Respondents’ Perception of Food Consumption Adequacy," Working Papers 05-10, Agricultural and Development Economics Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO - ESA). [Downloadable!]
Other versions:
- Migotto, Mauro & Davis, Benjamin & Carletto, Gero & Beegle, Kathleen, 2006. "Measuring Food Security Using Respondents' Perception of Food Consumption Adequacy," Working Papers RP2006/88, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER). [Downloadable!]
Coudouel, Aline & Hentschel, Jesko & Wodon, Quentin, 2002. "Mesure et analyse de la pauvreté
[Poverty Measurement and Analysis]," MPRA Paper 10490, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
repec:dia:wpaper:dt200601 is not listed on IDEAS
Coudouel, Aline & Hentschel, Jesko & Wodon, Quentin, 2002. "Medición y análisis de la pobreza
[Poverty Measurement and Analysis]," MPRA Paper 10491, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
Ravallion, Martin & Lokshin, Michael, 2000. "Identifying welfare effects from subjective questions," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2301, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
Other versions:
- Ravallion, Martin & Lokshin, Michael, 2001. "Identifying Welfare Effects from Subjective Questions," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 68(271), pages 335-57, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)

Statistics

Access and download statistics

Did you know? You can create your own reading lists on IDEAS.

This page was last updated on 2009-12-4.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.