Page 12 - Contributed Paper Session (CPS) - Volume 2

CPS1407 D.Dilshanie Deepawansa et al.

Measuring the social dimensions of poverty and
deprivation
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D. Dilshanie Deepawansa , Partha Lahiri , Ramani Gunatilaka 3
1 Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka
2 University of Maryland, USA
3 International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Abstract
Poverty measurement has long concentrated on measuring and analysing
material deprivation using mainly money metric measures, but following Sen’s
(1992) seminal work, the accepted norm is to measure poverty in its many
dimensions. Non-material dimensions such as dignity, autonomy and self-
respect in particular, condition the functioning of individuals to choose a
fulfilling and rewarding life that is free of poverty (Baulch, 1996). Social capital
is also now regarded as necessary to overcome poverty and vulnerability
(Woolcock, 2001). The social dimensions of poverty are now the focus of a
large literature on poverty and this paper adds to it by assessing non-material
deprivation in poverty along the three dimensions of social capital, dignity and
autonomy. Specifically, the study explores the extent to which people are
deprived in these dimensions and investigates how deprivation along these
dimensions are correlated with material deprivation and consumption poverty.
The analytical strategy involves applying a new analytical method developed
by Deepawansa et al. (2018) that combines the Fuzzy Sets Method (Cerioli &
Zani, 1990) and the Counting Method (Alkire & Foster, Counting and
multidimensional poverty measurement, 2007). The technique, named the
‘Synthesis Method’, is applied to primary sample survey data collected from
Sri Lanka’s Uva Province, where consumption poverty is most prevalent. The
study finds that on average, 53 per cent of people in Uva Province have a
propensity to be deprived along these social dimensions on the basis of Fuzzy
Membership measures, while 86 per cent are deprived in the same dimensions
and are also multidimensionally poor. In contrast, levels of material
deprivation are much lower at 18.6 per cent compared to 88.8 per cent in social
factors. However, deprivation along social dimensions and consumption
poverty are not significantly correlated. The findings of this study confirm that
the monetary approach offers only a very limited perspective on poverty. Most
importantly, it demonstrates that the social dimensions of deprivation should
be included in the measurement of poverty in all its dimensions and used to
design and target policies to help people come out of it.

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