Methods matter: The sensitivity of Malawian poverty estimates to definitions, data, and assumptions

Arbeitspapier

This paper decomposes differences between the official poverty estimates of Malawi and a set of revised estimates by Pauw et al. (2016, forthcoming) with respect to five methodological differences: (i) the use of a revised set of unit conversion factors; (ii) the specification and use of regional poverty lines as opposed to a single national poverty line; (iii) the use of implicit survey-based prices rather than external price data; (iv) estimation of food separate poverty lines in the two surveys; and (v) permitting a change in the food/non-food composition of the consumption basket over time. Our results suggest that the decline in national poverty varies between 3.4 and 8.4 percentage points, compared to the official estimate of a decline of 1.8 percentage points.

Object Details

• ISBN: 978-92-9256-015-7
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: WIDER Working Paper ; No. 2015/126

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Macroeconomics: Consumption; Saving; Wealth ; Measurement and Analysis of Poverty ; Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
• Subject: growth ; poverty ; Malawi ; poverty measurement

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Beck, Ulrik ; Pauw, Karl ; Mussa, Richard
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER)
• (where): Helsinki
• (when): 2015

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.35188/UNU-WIDER/2015/015-7
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/129451
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET