Paper short abstract:

With inequalities increasing globally and share of poor increasing in urban areas, there is a need to look at the Child MPI measurement. The paper analyzes the child MPI methodology, scope measurement of horizontal inequalities; comment on Child MPI and horizontal inequalities in cities.

Paper long abstract:

The evolution of poverty has allowed a thought and execution movement from a uni-dimensional concept to multidimensional poverty, encompassing health, education, and standard of living. Child MPI includes the disaggregation of measures, targeted for the individuals in the age group (0-17) and include the referred target group as the unit of analysis. However, MPI has a focus on households, and only refers to certain ‘child-relevant’ indicators.

The MPI methodology focuses on two layers of cut-off and censoring, wherein the first layer includes giving a status to all indicators under consideration as “Deprived” or “Non-deprived,” and the second layer is censoring i.e. a poverty cut-off. However, ideally, the measurement of poverty must include the “three I’s of poverty - incidence, intensity, and inequality.” The Child MPI addresses the first two, but is known to be insensitive to inequality among the poor. There is evidence that the state of child deprivation is linked with inequality for the nation and increased urban income is not linked to reduced child poverty. This necessitates methodological strengthening for measurement of inequalities, both vertical and horizontal.

MPI framework already includes a rural-urban division, however, the horizontal inequalities (social groups, gender, etc.) have not been addressed. Cities and urban spaces are more relevant for the concerns of poverty and inequality because of the recent evidence on the increasing share of poor in the urban areas as migrants gravitate towards cities. There is also evidence on increasing inequalities in cities, globally, indicating need for a clearer methodology for Child MPI and horizontal inequalities that will feed back into informed urban planning.

Basis the research evidence that exists, the paper aims to understand 1) the existing frameworks for Child MPI globally, critically analyze the methodology, argue the scope and relevance of measuring horizontal inequalities alongside Child MPI; 2) analyze and comment on Child MPI and horizontal inequalities that exist in cities, and how measurement of the two can enable urban planning. This panel/paper aims to address the methodology of multidimensional poverty for children, specifically in cities, and how the links poverty and horizontal inequality can be addressed.

The paper will adopt a method of a ‘scoping review’ which will enable creating information for further research agendas, policy as well as planning. The preliminary results indicate minimal literature on Child MPI and horizontal inequalities in cities, and further analysis will allow for a better commentary on the same.