MEASURING POVERTY USING MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY INDEX: A CASE STUDY OF PUTIMARI UNION, NILPHAMARI

Abstract

This study is designed to measure poverty from the multidimensional poverty index perspective. As the targets under the first goal of SDGs: the end of poverty in all its forms everywhere emphasize poverty reduction at different magnitudes by the year 2030, poverty alleviation has become a key area to work on. The multidimensional poverty index (MPI) approach can be the best measure of monitoring the target of the first goal of the SDG. This study considered the Putimari union of Nilphamari district in Bangladesh because of their high poverty level. The unidimensional measure of poverty, like the headcount index, does not show the severity of poverty. To address this fact, this paper intends to measure a multidimensional poverty index for measuring acute poverty. The quantitative research approach has been adopted and this study have selected a total of 60 households as a sample size. The questionnaire survey was used to collect household data which was collected in the Putimari union of Nilphamari district. To construct MPI, 20 indicators have been considered under five major dimensions as education, health, standard of living, financial and political aspects. The household-based approach has been used and a household is considered multi-dimensionally poor when it is found to be deprived in more than or equal to one-third of total dimensions. The result found that 127 people and 33 households, or 57.21 percent of the population, are not categorized as multi-dimensionally or severely poor (i.e., those with poverty scores between 0 and 20). Also, the vulnerable group, which comprises 43 people from 11 households and may be at danger of becoming poor in the future (i.e., those with poverty scores between 20 and 33). Based on the MPI tool, 23.42% of the total population – 52 individuals from 16 households – are classified as MPI poor.