Lucio Esposito

Sufficiency Re-examined: A Capabilities Perspective on the Assessment of Functional Adult Literacy

Abstract There is a growing consensus that the dichotomous categories of literate and illiterate should be abandoned. However, the dichotomy has considerable utility in the analysis of educational achievements and inequality in developing countries. Statistics on functional adult literacy are intended to tell us whether people have achieved a minimum level or threshold of functioning necessary for their daily life. We should therefore carefully consider the implications of such change.

Multidimensional Poverty: Restricted and Unrestricted Hierarchy Among Poverty Dimensions

The increasing interest in multidimensional poverty and well-being analysis has added complexity to the way these phenomena are conceptualized and measured. When multiple attributes are considered, a criterion determining the relative importance attached to the different dimensions has to be adopted. There has not been thus far in the literature a specific attempt to conceptualize the nature of the desired hierarchy among the selected poverty dimensions. The aim of this paper is to take the first step in this direction. We envisage two simple and highly intuitive ways in which such a hierarchical system can be understood, which we label restricted and unrestricted hierarchy. The analytical conditions allowing the incorporation of these into a poverty index are derived and their implications in terms of the understanding of poverty are discussed. An empirical application shows how the choice of the hierarchical scheme for poverty dimensions can lead to opposite conclusions on the poverty trend.

Upper Boundedness for the Measurement of Relative Deprivation

A new index of relative deprivation is derived axiomatically. Thanks to an asymptotically concave individual contribution function, the new measure provides a sounder quantification to the concept of relative deprivation as conceptualized in the seminal work of Runciman (1966) and better reflects the sociological connotations of the phenomenon.

POVERTY MEASUREMENT: PRIORITARIANISM, SUFFICIENCY AND THE ‘I'S OF POVERTY

The seminal contribution of Sen (1976) led to a new way to conceptualize and measure absolute poverty, by arguing for the need to ‘take note of the inequality among the poor’ (Sen 1976: 227). Since then, the ‘Inequality’ of poverty has become the third ‘I’ of poverty, which together with the ‘Incidence’ and the ‘Intensity’ of it constitute the dimensions deemed relevant for poverty evaluation. In this paper, we first argue that the interest in the third ‘I’ of poverty actually originates from a prioritarian (Parfit 1995) rather than an egalitarian attitude. Further, we illustrate the inability of the three ‘Is to fully comprise the criteria for the assessment of poverty which are de facto adopted by existing poverty indices. Some of them resolve distributional conflicts by following leximin, hence assigning a pivotal role to the worst off. We question the desirability of leximin, and conclude that giving absolute priority to the worst off is plausible only in cases where the latter has been identified by an exogenous threshold demarcating a significant difference in human suffering. Finally, we explore to what extent prioritarianism and the sufficiency argument of Frankfurt (1987), Crisp (2003) and Casal (2007) can help conceptualize giving absolute priority to individuals or groups indentified by exogenous (poverty and ultra-poverty) thresholds.

DOES GOVERNMENT SPENDING AFFECT INCOME INEQUALITY? A META‐REGRESSION ANALYSIS

In this paper findings of a meta-regression analysis are presented exploring the effects of government spending on income inequality, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries. We identify a total of 84 separate studies containing over 900 estimates of the effect of one or more measures of spending on one or more measures of income inequality. The results show some evidence of a moderate negative relationship between government spending and income inequality, which is strongest for social welfare and other social spending, and when using the Gini coefficient or the top income share as the measure of inequality. However, both the size and direction of the estimated relationship between government spending and income inequality is affected by a range of other factors, including the control variables and estimation method used. We also find evidence of publication bias, in that negative estimates of the relationship appear to be under-reported in the literature.

The impact of government policies on income inequality and the translation of growth into income poverty reduction: protocol for two systematic reviews

The eradication of poverty has been a central aim of international development for several decades, and the importance of reducing inequality is also increasingly accepted. This paper presents the protocols for two systematic reviews on the government policies and interventions that affect in-country income inequality and the translation of economic growth into reductions in income poverty. The paper describes the background to the reviews and the links between them, their aims and scope, the inclusion criteria, search strategy and synthesis options.

The value of literacy practices

The concepts of literacy events and practices have received considerable attention in educational research and policy. In comparison, the question of value, that is, ‘which literacy practices do people most value?’ has been neglected. With the current trend of cross-cultural adult literacy assessment, it is increasingly important to recognise locally valued literacy practices. In this paper we argue that measuring preferences and weighting of literacy practices provides an empirical and democratic basis for decisions in literacy assessment and curriculum development and could inform rapid educational adaptation to changes in the literacy environment. The paper examines the methodological basis for investigating literacy values and its potential to inform cross-cultural literacy assessments. The argument is illustrated with primary data from Mozambique. The correlation between individual values and respondents’ socio-economic and demographic characteristics is explored.

Relative deprivation and satisfaction: theoretical approaches

The concepts of relative deprivation and relative satisfaction, as opposed to inequality, can refer not only to a set of individuals, but also to single individuals. The interest in these concepts is thus motivated by the desire to obtain indicators at the individual level. The chapter starts by presenting evidence of the academic interest in these topics and reviewing the main theoretical models developed, adopting a relativistic specification of utility. It then moves on to the issue of measurement. Different approaches to measurement are introduced. The main indices proposed by the literature and extensions to a dynamic setting are illustrated, and the concept of the reference group is analysed. Concluding remarks focus on the importance of acknowledging interpersonal comparison effects and introducing relativist concerns in models aimed at explaining a wide range of social phenomena.

Wealth Inequality, Educational Environment and School Enrolment: Evidence from Mexico

Abstract Using data from the extended section of the 2010 Mexican census (2.9 million households), we study how school enrolment is associated with wealth inequality and with the educational environment the child is exposed to at the household and municipal levels. We provide robust evidence of wealth inequality as a negative predictor of school enrolment for children in primary, secondary and high school age ranges while a positive role is played by the educational environment. Through the introduction of interaction terms, we account for how economic and educational variables are intertwined at both the household and the municipal level, and we are able to illustrate the considerable heterogeneity in the role of adult education for households at different standards of living.

Relative Deprivation and School Enrolment: Evidence from Mexico

Using a large dataset (2.9 million households), we provide solid evidence of relative deprivation as being a negative correlate of school enrolment in Mexico, absolute standard of living being controlled for. This result is robust to a number of specifications, and to the use of linear and less than linear indices of relative deprivation. In addition, we find that marginal effects of relative deprivation are stronger at higher standards of living and for older children.