Paper short abstract:

Household-based multidimensional poverty measures including the global-MPI are unable to capture possible intrahousehold inequalities in resource allocation and to distinguish individual poverty within the household. This study adopts individual as the unit of analysis using data from Botswana.

Paper long abstract:

Poverty is multidimensional in nature and hence its operationalisation needs measures that capture and combines the various dimensions in an adequate manner that leaves no one behind. The United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has reinforced interest in multidimensional poverty measures. SDG 1 (target 1.2) calls for ending poverty in all its forms for all people of all ages according to national definitions. This target acknowledges that (1) poverty is multidimensional in nature; (2) poverty is an individual concept; and (3) poverty measurement should be aligned to national definitions.

Notwithstanding this, household-based multidimensional poverty measures including the global-MPI have been widely used. However, using the household as a unit of analysis has not escaped criticism since it leads to underestimation of the levels of poverty in the society. Household measures are unable to capture possible intrahousehold inequalities in resource allocation and to distinguish individual poverty within the household. Considering the limitations of the household-based measures, the analysis performed in this study adopts individual as the unit of analysis. Using data from Botswana, the main objective of this study is to operationalise the leave no one behind (LNOB) principle by estimating an individual-level multidimensional poverty measure employing the theoretical premises of the capability approach. LNOB principle calls for data disaggregation by demographic, economic and geographical variables to identify intersecting inequalities across the society. To the best of my knowledge, this study constitutes the first attempt in Botswana and will contribute to the conceptual aspects of the study of multidimensional poverty.