A Class of Poverty Indices.

Abstract

A review of a number of well-known poverty indices shows that two axiomatic requirements to a pover ty index are never satisfied simultaneously. The choice between these two axioms depends on the nature of the poverty line. A class of pov erty indices is developed as an application of the Dalton and Atkinso n inequality to poverty measurement. Almost all other poverty indices are seen to be a member of the class. The formulation of this class clarifies the basic problems involved in poverty measurement. Copyright 1987 by Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania and the Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association.