Can We Really Measure Poverty and Identify the Poor When Poverty Encompasses Multiple Deprivations?

The paper argues that both the income/expenditure and nutritional measures of poverty suffer with their own limitations. However, for both conceptual and practical considerations, the income/expenditure is not suitable for identification of the persons suffering from multiple deprivations. Hence, income poverty together with malnutrition can provide a better approximation of the multi-dimensional poverty than either of them individually. This paper also discusses the problems confronted by the official agencies involved in the measurement and identification of the poor. These problems are illustrated with concrete data.