MPI Debate

After the launch of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) in July 2010, several blogs and papers have emerged that debate and clarify the MPI’s value-added. This debate has continued to evolve, in particular through a series of articles in the Journal of Economic Inequality in July 2011.

Journal of Economic Inequality

• ‘Understandings and Misunderstandings of Multidimensional Poverty Measurement,’ Sabina Alkire and James Foster – July 2011 (also published as OPHI Working Paper 43)
• ‘On Multidimensional Indices of Poverty,’ Martin Ravallion – July 2011
• ‘Where Did Identification Go?’ Sabina Alkire, James Foster and Maria Emma Santos – September 2011 – a direct response to ‘On Multidimensional Indices of Poverty’ (also published as OPHI Working Paper 43b)
• Other articles contributing to the debate

Expert comment

• Experts such as Sir Tony Atkinson and François Bourguinon, share their views on MPI.

Oxfam Blog

• Initial post by Martin Ravallion, Director of the Development Research Group, World Bank
• Response by Sabina Alkire, OPHI Director, and subsequent entries; further exchanges by authors

World Bank Blog

• Subsequent discussion of MPI
  • Response by James Foster, Professor at George Washington University and OPHI Research Associate
• World Bank Policy Research Working Paper by Martin Ravallion that engages MPI
• Vox
• OPHI’s briefing on the robustness of the MPI to a range of weights