Multidimensional poverty and poverty dynamics
Poverty reduction has never been more prominent on international research and global policy agendas. To reflect the vibrancy of conceptual, methodological, empirical and policy debates around the persistence of poverty, the group has two strands.
The first strand addresses questions relating to the meaning and measurement of poverty, the conceptualization of poverty, and the social reproduction of poverty over time. Areas include multi-dimensionality in poverty, the intergenerational transfer of poverty, social exclusion, and alternative conceptualisations of poverty, such as the Sen/Nussbaum Capability Approach, and wellbeing approaches.
In relation to methodology, the group will take a critical look at the assessment of poverty using:
- ordinal variables
- understanding deprivations from longitudinal perspectives
- impact evaluations of poverty interventions
- global-national-local-individual interfaces
- subjective and relational aspects of poverty, and
- mixed methods research designs.
The group does not focus on a particular age group, but looks at poverty across the life course. This encompasses the intersectional experiences of children and elderly people as well as working age adults.
The second strand addresses questions relating to the policy process and objectives. These include reflections on how poverty debates or frameworks for development and poverty reduction have influenced policy and whether these have been successful or not. For example, to what extent do the SDGs offer a new framework for understanding development and addressing development challenges? What gaps are there in the SDGs? What steps should be taken to achieve the SDGs? In addition, this strand includes country- or context-specific policy responses to multidimensional poverty, such as social protection, or factors associated with or leading to multidimensional poverty, such as migration, urbanisation and psychosocial wellbeing.
The aim of the group is to bring together people working on poverty across the global North and South using a range of conceptual and methodological approaches. In doing this it will contribute to contemporary debates and share multi-disciplinary research on understanding, measuring, and reducing poverty.
Convenors
Laura Camfield, University of East Anglia
Solava Ibrahim, Anglia Ruskin University
Keetie Roelen, Institute of Development Studies
Lukas Schogl, Kings College, London
Suman Seth, University of Leeds
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Forthcoming events
None at present
Previous meetings
We have run panels each year at the EADI and DSA conferences and co-organise the DSA PhD Masterclasses.
October 2019, IDS, University of Sussex
Putting Children First – New Frontiers in the Fight Against Child Poverty in Africa
The study group co-organised a workshop at IDS on child poverty in Africa and policies that seek to reduce child poverty, focusing on child-sensitive social protection and safe transitions from adolescence to adulthood. The workshop was hosted together with The Impact Initiative, the Global Coalition to End Child Poverty, CROP and IDS.
September 2018, Kings College London
International Workshop on Poverty, Inequality Dynamics, and Economic Development: Tensions and Trade-offs in Mixed Methods Research
June 2015, University of East London
Rethinking Development Research: the post-2015 development agenda and sustainable development goals – EADI/DSA Multidimensional Poverty Working Group, EADI Disasters and Development Working Group and HDCA Sustainable Human Development Thematic Group