OPHI Summer School 2012: Capability and Multidimensional Poverty

 The 2012 OPHI-HDCA two-week training course on Capability and Multidimensional Poverty was held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 23 August – 4 September 2012. It brought together a vibrant mix of people to learn about multidimensional poverty measurement and the capability approach, and provided an introduction on how to implement a national or organisational Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

The capability approach formulated by Amartya Sen, and further developed by the philosopher Martha Nussbaum and others, provides a conceptual framework that grounds many multidimensional approaches to poverty and social protection. This includes the MDGs, PRSPs, rights-based development, integrated social policy, and other specific initiatives. 

In the past few years, interest in multidimensional quantitative techniques of analysis has surged. New quantitative methodologies have been developed for measurement, comparison, and analysis. Many more are still under development. It is a fast-moving area. 

This intensive summer school provided a thorough conceptual and technical introduction to techniques of measuring multidimensional poverty, drawing on the capability approach, with a strong emphasis on the Alkire Foster method. 

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