Some GW Perspectives on Research, Teaching, and Service Activities toward Ending Global Poverty

Forum Presentation at “USAID and GW Discuss Ending Extreme Poverty”

Stephen C. SmithJanuary 27, 2015

A Perspective on Addressing Global Poverty at GW

• Teaching – on poverty within its development context, at all levels• Service – many faculty and students are personally engaged• Research – on foundations of poverty studies:

– Theory, with a focus on careful, rigorous poverty measurement– Often building on foundations of Amartya Sen’s capability to function approach – Also part of what leads many at GW to take a multidimensional poverty approach

• Research – on systematic measurement of poverty – Now-standard measures created by Sabina Alkire and James Foster– Identifying and addressing other limitations in poverty measurement

• Research – on ultra-poverty: Measurement, policy, and programs for those significantly more deprived than standard extreme poverty cutoffs

• Research on poverty program design and impact – focus on innovative programs aimed at poorest, and new methods and tools to fill gaps

• Research methods to follow the (big) questions asked

Perspective that Extreme Poverty is Inherently Multidimensional

• Amartya Sen’s capability to function approach – a basic framework for poverty research on which many at GW often build

• Multidimensional foundations of freedom of choice e.g. education• The capabilities perspective informs interest in working across disciplines• Also leads many at GW to take a multidimensional poverty approach: • Poverty is more than lack of income; multidimensional analysis is not

just a “proxy” for imperfectly measured income or consumption • Multidimensional poverty concepts and systematic measurement • Now-standard measures created by Sabina Alkire and James Foster• Identifying, addressing limitations in poverty measurement and analysis

Foundations of Poverty Measurement• Poverty Theory – Focus on getting the measurement right

– Most widely used income poverty measures (FGT): James Foster (with Greer and Thorbecke)

– Current research at GW: Person Equivalent Headcount Measures of Poverty (Tony Castleman, James Foster, and Stephen C. Smith)

• Multidimensional (MD) measurement – Poverty is not just income – and MD analysis is not just a proxy for income– Now-standard measures created by Sabina Alkire and James Foster– Comparative global measures; and country-specific measures for local purposes

• Identifying and addressing other limitations in poverty measurement– Creating new measures where lacking, improving measures where needed– Expanding what gets measured - with careful focus on how it gets measured – Developing measures that have important conceptual properties– Measures that can be used in ways most beneficial for policymakers – Examples: health systems; educational quality– Measurement of ultra-poverty

Ultra-poverty• Ultra-poverty associated with four features – • 1. Very low income (e.g. half the extreme poverty line) • 2. Multidimensional (beyond some point, dimensions such as

health and education act as complements, not serving as substitutes); Again: cash alone may not solve ultra-poverty

• 3. Geographically concentrated • 4. Chronic – which may be connected to (possibly

multidimensional) poverty traps • At GW, a considerable focus on measurement, policy, and

programs for those significantly more deprived than standard extreme poverty cutoffs

• Example: New measures of ultra-poverty• Example: Multidimensional targeting and evaluation

Orientation of Research and Service• A significant breadth of research on, or work with, programs with these

features:– Major development transformation questions (e.g. key role of infrastructure

and urbanization in Africa (Remi Jedwab)– Addresses big questions, e.g. “cash vs conditions” (Sarah Baird)– Directed toward ultra-poor, e.g. smallholder women farmers in such countries

as Uganda and Senegal (Fishman and Smith – USAID funded research via BASIS program)

– Focus on key constraints on which improvement otherwise slow at best, e.g. environmental deterioration (Smith)

– Address possibility of poverty traps (Kwak and Smith)– Multidimensional programs in response to multidimensional problems of

poverty (Robano and Smith)• Government policy • BRAC (and other NGO) programs

Our Students

• Degree Programs: Elliott BA, MA; Economics (notably the PhD program), Public Policy, Business, Public Health, Education

• Internships• Alternative spring break

Thank you