Multi-Dimensional Poverty: An Empirical Study in Bankura District, West Bengal

Abstract

Poverty is a multi-faceted issue. Recently UNDP has recognised the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to measure poverty across the field of health, education and living conditions. This study explores the incidence and intensity of multi-dimensional poverty for the households in Bankura district, West Bengal. It also assessed the impact of income poverty along with some selected socioeconomic traits on the probability of being multi-dimensionally poor. In order to construct MPI, we have considered ten indicators covering three dimensions viz. health, education and the living conditions. The logit regression model has been formulated for assessing the impact of income poverty along with some selected socio-economic characteristics on probability of the incidence of multi-dimensional poverty. This study used a primary data set collected from 580 households. It was obtained that 40 per cent of the sample households are income-poor while 52 per cent suffer from multi-dimensional poverty. Besides, 29 per cent of the non-poor households are vulnerable and may join the ranks of multi-dimensionally poor. The value of MPI for Bankura district is found to be 0.27. The logit regression analysis reveals a close connection of multi-dimensional poverty with the income poverty of the households. Incidence of multi-dimensional poverty varies significantly across the major occupational groups and castes. However, SHG-centric microfinance programme and financial inclusion are less important to reduce multidimensional poverty in Bankura district.