How to Use National MPIs as a Policy Tool: From Metrics to Policy

How to Use National MPIs as a Policy Tool: From Metrics to Policy is a comprehensive guide developed by UNDP and OPHI to help policymakers leverage the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) beyond mere measurement, using it as a practical tool to shape public policy.

This handbook explores the strategic tools and skills used to introduce and institutionalise a new form of poverty measurement in government – the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) – to help guide effective poverty reduction policies. 

Building on interviews undertaken around the world in the period following the COVID-19 pandemic, this handbook shares real-life examples of the political and institutional steps taken to embed the measure in government. It also discusses how government officials have actively used the MPI to chart and guide meaningful change in the lives of poor people. 

The handbook will be of interest to anyone considering how to introduce new measurement techniques for tackling policy challenges in government. It explores experiences of how policy actors across statistical offices and government ministries worldwide have engaged and incentivised a range of stakeholders to create a shared mission of tackling poverty.  

Download link at the UNDP website

Citation: UNDP and OPHI (2024). How to Use National MPIs as a Policy Tool: From Metrics to Policy, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), New York.