The robustness of poverty profiles reconsidered

Poverty measures and profiles are used increasingly to guide antipoverty policies in low-income countries. An essential element in these analyses is the specification of a poverty line. However, there are many different methods for setting poverty lines, and different methods can yield strikingly di...

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Autores principales: Tarp, Finn, Simler, Kenneth R., Matusse, Cristina, Heltberg, Rasmus, Dava, Gabriel
Formato: Brief
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2002
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/156649
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author Tarp, Finn
Simler, Kenneth R.
Matusse, Cristina
Heltberg, Rasmus
Dava, Gabriel
author_browse Dava, Gabriel
Heltberg, Rasmus
Matusse, Cristina
Simler, Kenneth R.
Tarp, Finn
author_facet Tarp, Finn
Simler, Kenneth R.
Matusse, Cristina
Heltberg, Rasmus
Dava, Gabriel
author_sort Tarp, Finn
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Poverty measures and profiles are used increasingly to guide antipoverty policies in low-income countries. An essential element in these analyses is the specification of a poverty line. However, there are many different methods for setting poverty lines, and different methods can yield strikingly different results, with correspondingly different policy implications. Using recent household survey data from Mozambique, this paper explores the differences that occur using the most common poverty line methodologies, the Food Energy Intake (FEI) and the Cost of Basic Needs (CBN) methods, over different levels of geographic specificity. We find that regional and provincial rankings of Foster, Greer, and Thorbecke poverty indices are not robust to the method of poverty line determination, but that the characteristics of the poor are reasonably similar under all methods. The FEI poverty lines often yield counterintuitive results, whereas the family of CBN poverty lines was more robust. Food consumption patterns of the poor show a high degree of substitution among basic staples from one region to another, which is consistent with observed differences in relative food prices, indicating that CBN poverty lines that allow for regional variation in the food consumption bundle may be most appropriate in these settings.
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spelling CGSpace1566492025-01-10T06:44:44Z The robustness of poverty profiles reconsidered Tarp, Finn Simler, Kenneth R. Matusse, Cristina Heltberg, Rasmus Dava, Gabriel poverty household surveys food consumption mathematical models Poverty measures and profiles are used increasingly to guide antipoverty policies in low-income countries. An essential element in these analyses is the specification of a poverty line. However, there are many different methods for setting poverty lines, and different methods can yield strikingly different results, with correspondingly different policy implications. Using recent household survey data from Mozambique, this paper explores the differences that occur using the most common poverty line methodologies, the Food Energy Intake (FEI) and the Cost of Basic Needs (CBN) methods, over different levels of geographic specificity. We find that regional and provincial rankings of Foster, Greer, and Thorbecke poverty indices are not robust to the method of poverty line determination, but that the characteristics of the poor are reasonably similar under all methods. The FEI poverty lines often yield counterintuitive results, whereas the family of CBN poverty lines was more robust. Food consumption patterns of the poor show a high degree of substitution among basic staples from one region to another, which is consistent with observed differences in relative food prices, indicating that CBN poverty lines that allow for regional variation in the food consumption bundle may be most appropriate in these settings. 2002 2024-10-24T12:44:57Z 2024-10-24T12:44:57Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/156649 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Tarp, Finn; Simler, Kenneth R.; Matusse, Cristina; Heltberg, Rasmus; Dava, Gabriel. 2002. The robustness of poverty profiles reconsidered. FCND Discussion Paper Brief 124. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/156649
spellingShingle poverty
household surveys
food consumption
mathematical models
Tarp, Finn
Simler, Kenneth R.
Matusse, Cristina
Heltberg, Rasmus
Dava, Gabriel
The robustness of poverty profiles reconsidered
title The robustness of poverty profiles reconsidered
title_full The robustness of poverty profiles reconsidered
title_fullStr The robustness of poverty profiles reconsidered
title_full_unstemmed The robustness of poverty profiles reconsidered
title_short The robustness of poverty profiles reconsidered
title_sort robustness of poverty profiles reconsidered
topic poverty
household surveys
food consumption
mathematical models
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/156649
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