1. Multidimensional Child Poverty: from Measurement to Policy Action
Chris de Neubourg
Social Policy Research Institute (SPRI), Brussels, Belgium
Rabat, May 17th, 2017

2. Français, Spanish and Arabic version of the presentation

3. Monetary Child Poverty: measurement and policy action 1
Measures:
number of children living in poor households = hsh’s with financial resources below the poverty line
Policy action ?
Make households with children more prosperous/less poor
(get all children out of poor households)
Policy instrument ?
many options little guidance by “child poverty rate”

4. Monetary Child Poverty: measurement and policy action 2
Policy instruments options:
GIVE households with children more money:
Cash transfers to poor households
Cash transfers to households with children
Cash transfers to poor households with children
ensure that parents of (poor) children MAKE more money:
Provide jobs (i.e. public works)
Provide better paid jobs – minimum wage
Ensure that parents of (poor) children to SPEND LESS
i.e. on food (subsidies), on petrol (subsidies), provide free (cheaper) education, free (cheaper) health
(not really lowering poverty – making poverty less miserable)

5. Monetary Child Poverty: measurement and policy action 3
End of the story:
Monetary Child Poverty Rate does not tell me
Which category of instruments to use (give, make, spend less)
Which specific instrument to use
Example cash transfer;
Should we use child benefits/child grant?
Should it be targeted to all children or to children on poor families only?
Should it be conditional (CCT) or non-conditional?
Monetary Child Poverty Rate cannot answer the blue questions
IS it different when we turn to Multidimensional poverty?

6. Multidimensional Child Poverty measurement and policy action 1
Measures:
Number (#) of children lacking at least 2 things they need = number of children that are multiple deprived
Not always:
MPI & CONEVAL: # of HOUSEHOLDS that are multiple deprived (including children who lack things they need)
MODA = Child level measurement = unit of analysis

7. Multidimensional Child Poverty measurement and policy action 2
Policy options ?
Reduce the number of children experiencing deprivations (MODA)
Reduce the number of households wherein members (including children) who experience deprivations (MPI)
Policy instruments option ?
Many and in this case measurement is somewhat more helpful because
Multidimensional Analysis (MODA) provides more information
This is also due to its way of aggregating indicators into dimensions (combinations, weighting, union approach)

8. COUNTING Dimensional DEPRIVATIONS FOR EACH CHILD
Outline – MODA objective – Methodology – Country case – Conclusion

9. Distribution children over all deprivations
Burundi 0-17
Outline – MODA objective – Methodology – Country case – Conclusion

10. Multidimensional Child Poverty Rate: the number of multiple deprived children as a percentage of total
Number of deprivations 1 2
Multidimensional Poverty line (k=3) 3 4 5 6

11. Multidimensional Child Poverty measurement and policy action 3
Policy instruments ?
Multidimensional Analysis provides more information (but still)
Single deprivation analysis provides information on incidence of deprivations experienced by children
By dimension
By indicator

12. Deprivation rates by dimensions
Burundi 0 - 4

13. Deprivations by indicators
Burundi 0 - 4

14. Multidimensional Child Poverty measurement and policy action 4
Policy instruments ?
Multidimensional Analysis provides more information
Multiple deprivation analysis provides information on
Overlap between deprivations in dimensions

15. Overlap by 3 (2) dimensions 1
Burundi 23 – 59 months

16. Overlap by 3 (2) dimensions 2
Burundi 5 – 15 years

17. Overlap by 3 (2) dimensions 3
Mongolia 24 – 59 months

18. Multidimensional Child Poverty measurement and policy action 4
Policy instruments ?
Multidimensional Analysis provides more information (but still)
Single deprivation analyses
By age-group (life cycle approach)
Multiple deprivation analyses
Overlap between deprivations in dimensions
Indices H, A and M0

19. H, A and M0 H = Multidimensional Child Poverty Rate
The number of multiple deprived children as percentage of the total number of children = MCPR
A = Multidimensional Child Poverty Depth or Intensity = MCPD
The average intensity of deprivation of the multiple deprived children
M0 = Multidimensional Child Poverty Index = MCPI
the number of multiple deprived children multiplied by the average number of deprivations in which they are deprived

20. Multidimensional Child Poverty Depth or Intensity: the number of multiple deprived children as a percentage of total possible deprivations of the deprived A
Number of deprivations 1 2
Multidimensional Poverty line (k=3) 3 4 5 6

21. Multidimensional Child Poverty Rate (H), Intensity (A) and index (M0 or MCPI)

22. Multidimensional Child Poverty measurement and policy action 4
Policy instruments ?
Multidimensional Analysis provides more information (but still)
Single deprivation analyses
By age-group (life cycle approach)
Multiple deprivation analyses
Overlap between deprivations in dimensions
Indices H, A and M0
Profiling variables
Additional analyses (details, regressions)

23. Profiling variables for deprivation levels by dimensions and indicators Profiling variables for overlapping deprivations and for indices
By region, by area (rural/urban)
By characteristics of the child
By characteristics of the household
By characteristics of the mother
Also in combination with Monetary Child Poverty (overlap CPR and MCPR – CONEVAL)(but also in MODA and MPI if 1 database is used)

24. Multidimensional Poverty Maps

25. http://nmoda.spriglobal.org/?locale=en Algeria Angola Benin Botswana
Kenya
Kosovo
Lao PDR
Lesotho
Libya
Mongolia
Morocco
Rwanda
South Africa
State of Palestine
Swaziland
Tajikistan
Thailand
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cote d’Ivoire
DRCongo
Ethiopia
Guinea-Buisau

26. Examples bringing MODA and policy design together
Changing the mind-sets of policy makers and programme managers – all countries
Using at the basis for SitAn – Guinée
Using as the introductory chapter for SitAn – Zimbabwe
Used as a basis for additional analysis i.e. on stunting and ECD – Cambodia, Lao PDR
Used as a basis for additional qualitative analysis on services provision in health, nutrition and WASH – Kenya
Used as a basis for improving geographical targeting of cash transfers – several countries

27. Multidimensional Child Poverty measurement and policy action
Policy instruments ?
Multidimensional Analysis provides more information
but still:
For choosing specific and precise instruments to be used in order to reduce MCPR
often more specialised studies are necessary:
Example nutrition
Example ECD …