Global poverty measurement when relative income matters

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Ravallion, Martin; Chen, Shaohua
• 署名单位: Georgetown University; The World Bank
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2019.07.005
• 发表日期: 2019
• 关键词: Global poverty; Poverty lines; relative income; INEQUALITY

摘要

It is becoming well-recognized that relative measures are required for a complete picture of the extent of global poverty and its evolution. The standard assumption is that the national mean or median is the relevant comparison income for setting relative poverty lines. That assumption is questionable. The paper proposes a theoretical model of relative comparisons, which can be downward or upward in the distribution of income. On calibrating the approach to a new data-set on national poverty lines, the Gini-adjusted national mean emerges as the relevant comparison income. Calculations are provided of the implied global poverty measures since 1990. Both non-welfarist (capabilities-based) and welfarist interpretations are provided. Declining poverty incidence is indicated, but at a slower rate than the corresponding absolute measures suggest. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.