Chile Launches Expanded Multidimensional Poverty Measure

News
25 August 2015
OPHI News

On August 25th, the Chilean Ministry of Social Development held an event highlighting the integration of additional dimensions into Chile's multidimensional poverty measure. Chile's CASEN 2015 survey builds on the CASEN 2013 survey. Assessing the multidimensional nature of poverty, the 2013 study considered dimensions of education, health, labour and social security, and housing. At last Thursday's event, Heidi Berner, Undersecretary of Social Evaluation, explained that the 2015 study incorporates the dimensions of local environment and social networks--such that the new survey considers the five dimensions of education, health, labour and social security, housing and local environment, and networks and social cohesion. James Foster, Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and Research Associate at OPHI, spoke at the event. He explained that local environmental factors affect other aspects of people's experience of poverty, such as the availability of educational opportunities.

Chile adopted a multidimensional poverty measure in December 2014, when it developed a measure based on the Alkire Foster methodology in collaboration with OPHI. The seminar was moderated by Dante Contreras, Professor of the Department of Economics at the University of Chile, and Academic Director of the Center for Conflict Studies and Social Cohesion. Panelists included Claudia Sanhueza, Director of Magister UDP Public Policy and Coordinator of the Advisory Commission on Environment and Networks; Rodrigo Jordan, President of the Vertical Foundation and Coordinator of the Advisory Committee Expert Panel CASEN 2015; Benito Baranda, director of America Solidarity; and Andrés Hernando, researcher at the Center for Public Studies and Professor at the School of Government of the U. Adolfo Ibáñez. Further information is available from the Government of Chile (in Spanish).

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