Professor James Foster, from George Washington University, advocates the use of multidimensional metrics by developing countries in reorienting their socioeconomic policies
Brasilia, November 18, 2014 – What is the Meaning of a World without Poverty? Is the problem all about money, or do we need at least a basic level of well-being as well? These questions were debated in the first panel of the First International Seminar WWP – A World Without Poverty – this Tuesday (18), in Brasilia.
James Foster during the First International Seminar WWP. Photo: Nabil / IPC -IG UNDP
According to Professor James Foster, from George Washington University, a world without poverty requires that the analysis go well beyond the income problem. In his opinion, the issue has to be addressed in a multidimensional fashion.
“If the money issue were to go away, that would certainly not be the end of the problem. Many voices, including those of people in poverty, emphasize that other factors are at play in this situation – such as low access to education, health, employment and housing,” he said.
Foster stated that over 40% of the global population are not covered by social assistance. He believes that multidimensional metrics are necessary if developing countries are to reorient their socioeconomic policies.
The Professor presented two sizing technologies used in identifying poverty. He also stressed that listening to the people who actually face the problem may facilitate the understanding of the topic and its division into subgroups, so that useful and consistent data may be presented.
Professor Murray Leibbrandt, from the University of Cape Town, brought South Africa’s experiences in the last 20 years to the discussion. Professor Murray stated that the lack of health care policies led to major problems in the 1990s – such as an HIV epidemic – that compromised, among other things, the advances in the fight against poverty.
He said, however, that this landscape is now changing due to new investment policies. According to the professor, the major challenge is establishing a poverty line at the appropriate level and which can accommodate South African data.
“Setting the poverty line has become much more of a social than a technical issue. We have a long road ahead: we are a middle-income country, but we still need to improve our income distribution and make the government responsible for passing the necessary policies so we may abide by international poverty alleviation indicators.”
Selim Jahan, director of the Office of the Human Development Report at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said that using the minimum wage as the only indicator in the poverty line can be misleading, especially when individuals’ basic rights – such as health and education – are considered.
“A certain group of people may lie outside the poverty line in terms of income but may, nonetheless, enjoy the same quality of life as those living in poverty,” he said. In his opinion, surveys based on indicators alone may not depict the country’s true reality. “All metrics and indices must be based on sound theoretical foundations. They should not be used only for the purposes of statistical considerations. We want to do away with the tyranny of some of these metrics, because we know they do not reflect the truth,” he said.
The First International Seminar WWP – A World Without Poverty is promoted by the Brazilian Learning Initiative for a World Without Poverty (www.wwp.org.br). The World Bank, Brazil’s Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger (MDS), the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA), the Secretariat of Strategic Affairs of the Presidency of the Republic (SAE/PR) and the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) of the UNDP are all partners in this initiative. The seminar also has the support of Centro RIO+.