DETERMINANTS OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY IN BATTICALOA DISTRICT

Abstract

It is widely accepted that poverty is multidimensional and not only defined by income or consumption but includes poor health, lack of education, inadequate living standard, lack of income, disempowerment, poor quality of work and threat from violence. Money-based measures are obviously important, but deprivations in other dimensions also need to be considered. Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is a new measure designed to capture the several deprivations that people face at the same time. This paper investigates the determinants of multidimensional poverty in Batticaloa District. Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2009/10 data were used for this analysis. The analysis focuses on the followings: MPI calculation, cross tabulation and binary logistic regression. Study found 38.8 per cent of the population are multidimensional poor in Batticaloa District, contrast to 20.3 per cent consumption poor. The model of the determination of multidimensional poverty reveals that household size, age, marital status, and ownership of the dwelling are significantly contributing to the level of poverty.

Keywords: Multidimensional poverty index (MPI), deprivation, poor.

For full Paper: fmscresearch@sjp.ac.lk