Weights in Multidimensional Measures

Instructor: Sabina Alkire, Director of OPHI

Class Objectives:

Conceptual issues: What weights mean – Value, priority, or explanatory power
Within dimensions and between dimensions
Normative approaches: expert, participatory, survey-based
Statistical approaches: factor analysis, pca, MIMIC

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Weights in Multidimensional Measures Part 1
Weights in Multidimensional Measures Part 2

Reading List
Basic Readings:
DECANCQ, K. and LUGO (2008), “Setting weights in multidimensional indices of well-being”. OPHI Working Paper No. 17.

Further readings:
BRANDOLINI, A. (2007), “On synthetic indices of multidimensional well-being: health and income inequalities in France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom”. ChilD Working Paper 07/2007.
DIBBEN, C., ATHERTON, I., COX, M., WATSON, V., RYAN, M. and SUTTON, M. (2007), “Investigating the Impact of Changing the Weights that Underpin the Index of Multiple Deprivation 20048.Dibben”, Department for Communities and Local Government Report, London.
CHOWDHURY, S. & SQUIRE, L. (2006). “Setting weights for aggregate indices: An application to the commitment to development index and human development index”, Journal of Development Studies 42(5): 761–771.
WRIGHT, G., NOBLE, M. and WISEMAN, M. (2007), Towards A Democratic Definition of Poverty: Socially Perceived Necessities in South Africa, Published by the Human Science Research Council (HSRC) Press, Cape Town