OPHI Summer School 2022: Multidimensional Poverty Measurement & Analysis
Organised by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of Oxford, to be held from the 1st to 13th August 2022.
The OPHI Summer School is planned to run in two formats*, with prospective candidates able to choose between online or in-person participation hosted at the Economics Faculty, Universitas Indonesia. This year the OPHI Summer School has been integrated into a series of programmes organised jointly by OPHI, G20, T20 and FEB-UI.
* Please note that due to COVID-19 restrictions the format of the course might change.
The Summer School is aimed at those who are working on, or actively interested in gaining skills in multidimensional poverty measurement, particularly professional staff of national offices of statistics and government ministries that deal with poverty reduction, professionals from international development institutions, academics, and doctoral students. The Summer School will be led by OPHI Director, Sabina Alkire, and the OPHI team, including researchers and academics with extensive experience of developing and implementing Multidimensional Poverty Indices (MPIs).
The purpose of this intensive Summer School is to provide a technical introduction to multidimensional poverty measurement using the Alkire-Foster (AF) method, and to share examples of its practical applications. Upon completing the course, students will have the skills required to construct and analyse a multidimensional poverty measure and will be able to describe its policy relevance and usefulness for analytical purposes. Drawing on Amartya Sen’s capability approach and empirical examples of national and global MPIs, the conceptual and empirical motivation for measuring multidimensional poverty will be presented, as well as the full suite of measurement tools.
The following topics will be covered:
- Unidimensional poverty measures;
- Multidimensional poverty measures and methodologies;
- The Alkire-Foster (AF) method of multidimensional poverty measurement;
- Measurement design – purpose, dimensions, indicators, cutoffs and weights;
- Estimation of multidimensional poverty and interpretation of the results;
- Subgroup decomposition and dimensional break-down;
- Multidimensional poverty changes over time;
- Interpretation and analysis of multidimensional poverty.
Course format
The Summer School is a full-time course taught in English and consists of two full weeks of instruction and working group sessions, with the option to attend the course in-person or online. Throughout the Summer School, participants will be actively involved in discussions and will work through problem sets in virtual or in-person small groups, using Stata. They will also have the opportunity to attend lectures and Q&A sessions with OPHI Director Sabina Alkire and OPHI researchers.
More details on the online and in-person course format will follow.
Application details
To apply, please complete the online application form. It requires you to submit a current curriculum vitae, sample Stata .do file, and a sample of written work. Applications for the Summer School 2022 close on the 13th May 2022. Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of the information provided in their application.
More information
| Audience | The Summer School is aimed at those who are working on, or actively interested in gaining skills in, multidimensional poverty measurement, particularly professional staff of national offices of statistics and government ministries that deal with poverty reduction, professionals from international development institutions, academics, and doctoral students. Applicants who are currently pursuing work on measurement are also welcome. Other applicants having a demonstrated research interest in empirical analysis in these topics will be considered on the basis of their experience and our capacity. |
| Prerequisites | – A demonstrable knowledge of Stata is an essential pre-requisite for attending the course. This will be assessed as part of the application process. In addition, every participant will need to have Stata installed on their computer. The software will not be provided by the Summer School. – A strong knowledge of quantitative methods and a strong interest in poverty measurement and analysis are highly desirable. – The Summer School will be delivered in English so a high level of English language ability is necessary. – Participants will need to have their own laptop or computer to access relevant material from the learning platform Canvas and will need the following system requirements to run this platform: Canvas system requirements In-person version: Participants are required to fulfil all COVID-19 related travel and entry requirements. Please note that travel and entry regulations can change quickly, please visit https://www.indonesia.travel/ for the latest travel advice and required documentation to enter the country. Please note there might be additional requirements for accessing venues and services depending on local regulations. Online version Live sessionsare held over Zoom. Participants will need the following internet and system requirements to run these platforms: Canvas system requirements Zoom system requirements Internet speed test |
| Cost | In-person/Online £600 GBP (students and developing country researchers) £1,400 GBP (developing country professionals) £2,000 GBP (developed country professionals) In-person version Please note that participants are required to pay for their accommodation, flights, and any other expenses. In addition, any COVID-19 related additional expenses (e.g. insurance, tests, quarantine, and medical treatment) are not covered in the course fees, and will need to be paid for by participants. |
| Financial Support | Applicants are highly encouraged to seek support from their local governments and institutions or external funders. We are be happy to provide support letters for such funding applications to accepted candidates. Limited financial support may be available. Competition for financial support will be strong. However, well-qualified and committed applicants with financial needs are encouraged to apply. |
| Questions? | Please write to ophi-summerschool@qeh.ox.ac.uk with any questions. |