Measuring Poverty around the World

Anthony B. Atkinson

Published by Princeton University Press 2019

Measuring Poverty around the World

Anthony B. Atkinson

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691191898

Overview
Contents

About this book

The final book from Professor Sir Tony Atkinson, one of the leading economists of recent years and pioneer of the study of inequality, this will become the go-to text on measuring poverty around the world and brings together evidence about the nature and extent of poverty in both rich and poor countries.

The final book from a towering pioneer in the study of poverty and inequality—a critically important examination of poverty around the world

In this, his final book, economist Anthony Atkinson, one of the world’s great social scientists and a pioneer in the study of poverty and inequality, offers an inspiring analysis of a central question: What is poverty and how much of it is there around the globe? The persistence of poverty—in rich and poor countries alike—is one of the most serious problems facing humanity. Better measurement of poverty is essential for raising awareness, motivating action, designing good policy, gauging progress, and holding political leaders accountable for meeting targets. To help make this possible, Atkinson provides a critically important examination of how poverty is—and should be—measured.

Bringing together evidence about the nature and extent of poverty across the world and including case studies of sixty countries, Atkinson addresses both financial poverty and other indicators of deprivation. He starts from first principles about the meaning of poverty, translates these into concrete measures, and analyzes the data to which the measures can be applied. Crucially, he integrates international organizations’ measurements of poverty with countries’ own national analyses.

Atkinson died before he was able to complete the book, but at his request it was edited for publication by two of his colleagues, John Micklewright and Andrea Brandolini. In addition, François Bourguignon and Nicholas Stern provide afterwords that address key issues from the unfinished chapters: how poverty relates to growth, inequality, and climate change.

The result is an essential contribution to efforts to alleviate poverty around the world.

Author / Editor information

Anthony B. Atkinson (1944–2017) was a Fellow of Nuffield College, University of Oxford, and Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics. His many books include Inequality: What Can Be Done?, Public Economics in Action, Lectures on Public Economics (with Joseph E. Stiglitz) (Princeton), and The Economics of Inequality.

Reviews

"This is an important and much-needed book. While poverty has fallen around the world, it is still far too high. If, like Tony Atkinson, you believe we can and must do better, this is essential reading."—Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century

"This is a sweeping discussion of poverty, in all its dimensions and across all types of countries. If you want to know more about poverty anywhere in the world, read this book. As always, Atkinson is precise in his thinking, clear in his use of numbers, and wise in his discussion of the moral and political dimensions of poverty. It’s a fitting finale to his lifework and reminds us of how much we have lost with his passing."—Rebecca Blank, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison

"Tony Atkinson did everything he thought he should do to help others and to help the world, while being robustly engaged in solving the problems that could tempt and engage an outstanding economist. The impact of his contribution to economics can be seen in a great many different areas in the subject, but our understanding of poverty and inequality in particular has been totally transformed by his foundational work."—Amartya Sen, Harvard University, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
DETAILED CHAPTER CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES, AND BOXES Publicly Available Download PDF	xv
FOREWORD John Micklewright and Andrea Brandolini Publicly Available Download PDF	xvii
PREFACE Tony Atkinson Publicly Available Download PDF	xxv
CHAPTER 1. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
CHAPTER 2. What Do We Mean by Poverty? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	28
CHAPTER 3. Clarifying Concepts Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	58
CHAPTER 4. The Key Role of Data Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	105
CHAPTER 5. Global Poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	146
CHAPTER 6. Poverty in Asia and the Pacific Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	166
CHAPTER 7. Africa: Diversity of Experience Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	177
CHAPTER 8. Poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	184
CHAPTER 9. Poverty in Rich Countries and a Global Measure of Poverty Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	194
CHAPTER 10. Conclusions: Beyond $1.90 a Day Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	210
AFTERWORD. Growth, Inequality, and Poverty Reduction François Bourguignon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	218
AFTERWORD. Poverty and Climate Change Nicholas Stern Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	232
NATIONAL REPORTS FOR SIXTY COUNTRIES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	247
NATIONAL REPORT REFERENCES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	373
BIBLIOGRAPHY Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	391
INDEX OF NAMES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	417
INDEX OF SUBJECTS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	421