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Eradicating poverty in all its forms, everywhere, requires indicators that measure sustainable pathways out of poverty, and not only the absence of acute poverty. This paper introduces a trial Moderate Multidimensional Poverty Index (MMPI) that reflects moderate rather than acute levels of multidimensional poverty. The MMPI adjusts nine of the 10 indicators of the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (global MPI) to reflect moderate poverty and create a meaningful superset of the acutely poor population. Although data-constrained, the trial MMPI outlines a methodology and potential indicators for a measure that would: (i) be meaningful and comparable across populations at higher levels of development; (ii) align with higher standards defined in Agenda 2030; and (iii) provide insight into aspects of intrahousehold deprivation. The MMPI is illustrated empirically using nationally representative household surveys from Bangladesh, Guatemala, Iraq, Serbia, Tanzania and Thailand. The results confirm the added value of having three nested measures of destitution, acute, and moderate multidimensional poverty. The MMPI also complements monetary measures with informative differences in poverty levels observed. The results demonstrate that a Moderate MPI is a desirable global poverty index, which is likely to illuminate thus far hidden aspects in of multidimensional poverty, such as intrahousehold deprivations in education. Challenges remain regarding data availability, and further study across additional countries is required before the MMPI structure can be finalised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the proliferation of poverty studies, poverty in Brunei Darussalam (hereafter, Brunei) is under-researched. What poverty means in Brunei is, therefore, little understood, and there is a local belief that poverty in the country is unique and relative. Moreover, the terms 'poverty' (kemiskinan) and 'poor' (miskin) are somewhat sensitive in Brunei, but the reason(s) for this sentiment and preferred terms are not known. This study examines the language and meaning of poverty in Brunei. It also sheds light on the local belief about poverty within the country. The study used an exploratory research methodology and data were collected from poor and non-poor households and key informants. Results show that Bruneians use different terms to refer to poverty or poor people, but preferred terms are 'living in need', 'difficult life' and 'needy people'. Bruneians avoid the terms 'poverty' and 'poor' because they can erode one's self-confidence or self-esteem. Poverty in Brunei is construed in different ways, but it is mostly perceived as relative, and its nature is not unique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Economic analyses of poverty focus on who is poor and their profile. • Anthropological analyses focus on lived experiences and social relations of poverty. • Differences between the approaches can be traced to different philosophical commitments. • We illustrate these issues for Mozambique, using household surveys and qualitative fieldwork. • We argue against a forced marriage of the two approaches. Abstract Motivated by the siloed nature of much poverty research, as well as the challenge of finding inclusive operational definitions of poverty, this study reflects on the merits of seeking to reconcile economic (quantitative) and anthropological (qualitative) analytical approaches. Drawing on detailed evidence from Mozambique, we highlight fundamental philosophical tensions in poverty research along three main axes: social ontology (what is the form of social reality?); (b) epistemology (what can be known about poverty?); and (c) aetiology (how is poverty produced?). We argue the quantitative tradition is rooted in an atomistic view of the social world, which is allied to an etic epistemology in which causes and effects are treated as analytically separable. Anthropological work in Mozambique is anchored in an emic perspective, where the diverse forms of poverty are revealed through investigation of their generative mechanisms. This provides a view of poverty as a relational process of social marginalization and directs attention to the diversity of lived-experiences, as well as structural factors that limit individuals' agency. In clarifying their distinct philosophical commitments, we contend that a forced empirical marriage of the two approaches may be unhelpful. Instead, we recommend the virtues of each approach are leveraged toward genuine mutual dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since "being poor" is not the same as "feeling poor", the objective of this paper is to provide a subjective measurement of poverty along the lines laid down by Kapteyn and Deeleck, as well as to obtain both subjective and objective indicators calculated for different household sizes, and according to population density. The data were taken from the Living Conditions Survey (LCS) in Spain for the years 2008, 2012 and 2016. It was concluded that households that feel poor are more numerous than those that are poor, due to the overestimation of Kapteyn's and Deeleck's subjective rates. Similar subjective poverty thresholds were obtained for the most frequent household sizes. Households were and felt less poor in the most densely populated geographical areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Poor workers suffer from low returns to their most abundant resource, labor. In this paper we show that labor market integration strongly affects these returns for poor workers in Vietnam. Using seven representative household surveys, it is shown that while regional labor markets have become increasingly integrated over the period 1993–2010 considering market wages of workers in wage employment, there remains a strong lack of integration considering shadow wages of workers in farm self-employment. Shadow wages have been increasing as a proportion of market wages during 1993–2010, but they remain only 22–28% of rural market wages by 2010. Using a decomposition technique, it is shown that the lack of integration between the farm self-employment segment with various segments of wage employment (regional, urban versus rural, non-farm household versus other enterprises), explains primarily the gap in returns to labor between poor and non-poor workers. These findings show that labor market integration studies should not only focus on observed market wages but also on shadow wages in order to understand the relationship between labor market integration and the returns to labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines low income in the American Jewish population. It situates the study of the Jewish poor within a broader sociological framework by utilizing general sources on poverty among Americans to identify and test a range of predictors of low income among American Jews. Using data from the National Jewish Population Survey 2000–2001, it finds six major predictors of low income: age, education, employment status, family-household type and its interaction with gender, citizenship status and Jewish denomination. Importantly, it shows that the simultaneous presence of several predictors is necessary to raise the probability of having low income above the Jewish population’s mean rate, and it builds on this finding to examine the factors that contribute to low income among Orthodox, immigrant and elderly Jews. The article also investigates social correlates and communal consequences of low income, demonstrating a pattern of poorer health, increased social service needs and diminished communal participation among the Jewish poor. It concludes with a discussion of a research agenda on economic vulnerability among American Jews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper addresses the issue of chronic poverty in Rwanda, an issue which has not been addressed specifically in the policy debate, despite the fact that it is likely to be widespread. In part this has reflected lack of available evidence, in that the conventional sources used to analyze chronic poverty are not available. We argue in this paper that by judicious combination of existing qualitative (a high quality nationwide participatory poverty assessment) and quantitative sources (a household survey) it is possible to identify and characterize a clearly distinct group of chronically poor households, whose characteristics are different from the poor as a whole. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article focuses on the poor in Romania, a category that grew unprecedentedly in number and severity during the postcommunist transition. Based on data from the Romanian Integrated Household Survey (RIHS), we document growth in poverty over the 1995-98 period and investigate the contribution of various factors to household welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to identify the multiple aspects of vulnerability in the Kyrgyz labour market. Particular attention is devoted to the working poor and precarious workers. This analysis is undertaken using the Kyrgyz Poverty Monitoring Survey, which is the only survey to date that allows a comprehensive analysis of poverty and labour market outcomes in the Kyrgyz Republic. The period under investigation covers the years 1997 to 1998, for which data are available. The results point to the extreme vulnerability of individuals with less education and women, who cumulated a high risk of being unemployed, of remaining longer in unemployment, of being discouraged unemployed and, if employed, of being low-paid or working in precarious jobs. Other groups facing a high risk of exclusion, both from and within employment, were people with disabilities, individuals living in rural or depressed areas, young people and internal migrants. The multiple aspects of vulnerability in the Kyrgyz labour market, in particular the large overlap between work and poverty, have important implications for the design of effective social policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty data rarely capture processes of change, limiting our ability to understand poverty trajectories at the individual or household levels. This article uses a household survey, village-level participatory studies and indepth life-history interviews to examine people's poverty trajectories and to identify what drives and maintains chronic poverty. Composite shocks can propel previously non-poor households into severe and long-term poverty. Poverty is hard to escape, and people born into chronically poor households find few opportunities for accumulation and wealth creation. The analysis highlights the importance of poverty interrupters, including the end of conflict and the re-integration of internally displaced people, and suggests that state-led interventions would be needed to provide real opportunities to the chronically poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]