Including services in multidimensional poverty measurement for SDGs: modifications to the consensual approach

Abstract

Poor households disproportionately lack access to services, yet this is rarely considered in poverty measures. Service provision can vary significantly between and within countries, and so similar levels of household resources may translate to very different living standards. Where universal provision of basic services is lacking, current approaches to poverty measurement may result in underestimates, thereby raising comparability and identification issues. We propose a conceptual framework to incorporate service provision into multidimensional poverty measures, based on a modification to the consensual approach. The modification would create improved context-specific poverty measures, enabling a more nuanced understanding about effective access to services.