IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/nam/defipp/2504.html

Multidimensional Poverty: Why not Make Up the Missing Joint Distribution Data?

Author

Listed:
  • Benoit Decerf

    (Development Finance and Public Policies, University of Namur)

  • Merry Ferrando

    (Tilburg School of Economics and Management, Tilburg University)

  • Balint Menyhert

    (University of Turku)

Abstract

Poverty is inherently multidimensional, encompassing both monetary and nonmonetary dimensions. However, these outcomes are often collected in separate surveys, leaving the joint distribution partially unobserved. To improve social poverty comparisons, we propose a new simple method to address this data constraint: assume a fixed value for the missing part of the joint distribution. This approach allows the integration of outcomes collected from different surveys, unlike the mainstream method currently in use. Drawing on household surveys from six developing countries where both dimensions are observed, we show that our method systematically outperforms traditional single-survey measures and “mash-up” measures. Monte Carlo simulations further confirm the robustness of our results across a wide range of datagenerating scenarios. Our findings highlight the value of our proposed method for monitoring multidimensional poverty and suggest it may also benefit other social indicators facing similar data limitations.

Suggested Citation

  • Benoit Decerf & Merry Ferrando & Balint Menyhert, 2025. "Multidimensional Poverty: Why not Make Up the Missing Joint Distribution Data?," DeFiPP Working Papers 2504, University of Namur, Development Finance and Public Policies.
    • Handle: RePEc:nam:defipp:2504
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://defipp.unamur.be/wp/defipp_wp_2025_4.pdf
    File Function: First version, 2025
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alkire, Sabina & Foster, James, 2011. "Counting and multidimensional poverty measurement," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(7-8), pages 476-487, August.
    2. Sudhir Anand and Amartya Sen, 1994. "Human development Index: Methodology and Measurement," Human Development Occasional Papers (1992-2007) HDOCPA-1994-02, Human Development Report Office (HDRO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
    3. Decerf, Benoit, 2023. "A preference-based theory unifying monetary and non-monetary poverty measurement," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 222(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Decerf, Benoit & Ferrando, Mery & Menyhert, Balint, 2026. "Multidimensional Poverty : Why Not Make Up the Missing Joint Distribution Data ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11348, The World Bank.
    2. Decerf,Benoit Marie A, 2024. "Multidimensional Well-Being Measurement Practices : A Review Focused on Improving Global Multidimensional Poverty Indicators," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10800, The World Bank.
    3. Leßmann, Ortrud, 2011. "Empirische Studien zum Capability Ansatz auf der Grundlage von Befragungen: Ein Überblick," UFZ Discussion Papers 4/2011, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Division of Social Sciences (ÖKUS).
    4. Suman Seth and Antonio Villar, 2017. "Measuring Human Development and Human Deprivations," OPHI Working Papers ophiwp110.pdf, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford.
    5. Ranucci, Immacolata & Abay, Kibrom A. & Tiberti, Luca, 2025. "Perceived need and measured well-being: How well do subjective rankings capture relative poverty?," GSSP working papers 2386, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Diogo Ferraz & Enzo B. Mariano & Daisy Rebelatto & Dominik Hartmann, 2020. "Linking Human Development and the Financial Responsibility of Regions: Combined Index Proposals Using Methods from Data Envelopment Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 150(2), pages 439-478, July.
    7. Olivier Sterck, 2024. "Poverty Without Poverty Line," CSAE Working Paper Series 2024-07, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    8. Phan, Diep Hoang, 2024. "Adverse effects of extreme temperature on human development: Empirical evidence from household data for Vietnam across regions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    9. repec:qeh:ophiwp:ophiwp066 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Decerf, Benoit Marie A, 2025. "A Quick-Fix for Perverse Incentives Inherent in Mainstream Multidimensional Poverty Measures," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11113, The World Bank.
    11. Undp, 2011. "HDR 2011 - Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All," Human Development Report (1990 to present), Human Development Report Office (HDRO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), number hdr2011.
    12. Decerf, Benoit Marie A & Fonton,Kike, 2023. "Reconceptualizing Global Multidimensional Poverty Measurement, with Illustration on Nigerian Data," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10577, The World Bank.
    13. Kirsten Sehnbruch & Brendan Burchell & Nurjk Agloni & Agnieszka Piasna, 2015. "Human Development and Decent Work: Why some Concepts Succeed and Others Fail to Make an Impact," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 46(2), pages 197-224, March.
    14. Victoria Danaan, 2018. "Analysing Poverty in Nigeria through Theoretical Lenses," Journal of Sustainable Development, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 11(1), pages 1-20, January.
    15. Rao, Nitya, 2017. "Assets, Agency and Legitimacy: Towards a Relational Understanding of Gender Equality Policy and Practice," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 43-54.
    16. Kinghorn, Philip, 2019. "Using deliberative methods to establish a sufficient state of capability well-being for use in decision-making in the contexts of public health and social care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    17. Xuming He & Heng Xi & Xianbo Li, 2024. "Multi-Dimensional Decomposition, Measurement, and Governance Mechanism of Relative Poverty in Chinese Households under the Goal of Common Prosperity: Empirical Analysis Based on CFPS2020 Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-24, June.
    18. Dossè M Djahini-Afawoubo & Mawuli Kodjovi Couchoro, 2020. "What happen to multidimensional poverty between 2006 and 2015 in Togo?," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 40(2), pages 1201-1215.
    19. Kedi Liu & Ranran Wang & Inge Schrijver & Rutger Hoekstra, 2024. "Can we project well-being? Towards integral well-being projections in climate models and beyond," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    20. Francesco Devicienti & Valentina Gualtieri & Mariacristina Rossi, 2014. "The Persistence Of Income Poverty And Lifestyle Deprivation: Evidence From Italy," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(3), pages 246-278, July.
    21. Winters, P. & Kafle, K. & Benfica, R., 2018. "IFAD RESEARCH SERIES 21 - Does relative deprivation induce migration? Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa," IFAD Research Series 280070, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nam:defipp:2504. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: François-Xavier Ledru (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/fsfunbe.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.