Options
Relative or absolute poverty lines : a new approach
Author(s)
Date Issued
1999-04
Date Available
2009-01-05T15:21:48Z
Abstract
When measuring poverty over time analysts must choose the value of the income elasticity of the poverty line, which essentially determines whether an absolute or relative poverty line is being used. The choice of this parameter is ultimately a value judgement but this paper suggests an approach which has some empirical basis. Borrowing from the life-style and deprivation approach to poverty various dimensions of poverty and deprivation are identified and the income elasticity of these items is used as the income elasticity of the poverty line. Data from the 1987 and 1994 Irish Household Budget Surveys suggest an upper bound of 0.7 for this parameter. Poverty measures using a number of values of the income elasticity of the poverty line are presented and test statistics are presented to determine whether observed differences in poverty measures are statistically significant.
Type of Material
Working Paper
Publisher
University College Dublin. School of Economics
Series
UCD Centre for Economic Research Working Papers
WP99/09
Copyright (Published Version)
UCD Centre for Economic Research 1999
Keywords
Classification
I31
I32
Subject – LCSH
Poverty--Statistical Methods
Social indicators
Language
English
Status of Item
Not peer reviewed
This item is made available under a Creative Commons License
File(s)
Owning collection
Views
2148
Last Month
1
1
Acquisition Date
Apr 17, 2024
Apr 17, 2024
Downloads
1703
Last Month
3
3
Acquisition Date
Apr 17, 2024
Apr 17, 2024