Statistical Analysis for Poverty Modeling & Analysis

• measure and interpret static poverty measures using household survey data;
• measure and model poverty dynamics using longitudinal survey data;
• distinguish poverty from vulnerability;
• measure pro-poor growth;
• understand the basics of poverty monitoring and impact evaluation.

Review Of The Basics Of Poverty Measurement

• Introduction: What is poverty? Why measuring poverty?
• Defining a measure of welfare
• Setting the poverty line
• Aggregating individual information: FGT index, Sen Index, Watts index

Poverty Dynamics

• Introduction: How to describe poverty dynamics
• Trigger Events
• Chronic and Transient Poverty
• Measures of persistent poverty
• Data Issues: repeated cross-section, panel data.
• Modeling poverty dynamics: transition and duration models, variance components models
• Indicators of inter-temporal Poverty

Vulnerability To Poverty

• Definition and sources of vulnerability
• Measurement Issues

Non-Monetary Dimensions Of Poverty

• Multidimensional aspects of poverty
• Measurement Issues

Poverty Monitoring And Evaluation

• Introduction: monitoring versus impact evaluation
• The different steps of an impact evaluation
• The challenge of the counterfactual

Pro-Poor Growth

• Definition
• Measures
• The repeated cross-section approach
• The panel data approach

The course level was appropriate for participants with background in economics, statistics, mathematics, and/or public policy. A strong background in quantitative analysis was required. Basic knowledge of the Stata statistical software was desirable.