Introduction

The papers presented in this volume represent current and up-to-date research on poverty, and taken together, they illustrate the multidimensionality of poverty that is difficult to capture in any one measure. The papers employ a wide variety of measures that differ both by place and by the quality and availability of data. As such, the volume presents state-of-the-art research that is relevant to poverty researchers everywhere.

The papers use different methods/measures including a subjective measure of well-being and its relationship to poverty, and measures of material deprivation, multidimensional poverty, income and mobility, and capabilities. Approaches also include the use of transition rates and spell analyses that measure the persistence of poverty over time. The types of data employed in these papers include cross-sectional survey data, panel or longitudinal data, and administrative records.