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Child vs. Household MPIs in Colombia: Do they Identify the Same Children as Multidimensionally Poor?

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Abstract

Despite increased recognition of the importance of measuring child poverty from a multidimensional perspective, most countries with National Multidimensional Poverty Indices (MPIs) have used the household as the unit of identification and used the results of national MPIs to define the levels of child poverty in a country. This assumes that resources are shared equally among all household members, and ignores possible intra-household inequalities. Given the lack of knowledge about whether Household MPIs properly identify children who are multidimensionally poor, this article aims to compare the results of a child-specific MPI exercise and a household-specific MPI exercise and identify the dimensions and individual characteristics that explain this gap. To fulfil this objective, we computed a Child MPI for Colombia and compared the results with the Colombian National MPI. In addition, we estimated probit and biprobit models to identify the determinants of being a multidimensionally poor child under both measures. The results of the analysis reveal three main findings: (1) there is a mismatch between the two measures; (2) the deprivation profiles of multidimensionally poor children are different depending on which MPI is used to classify them as poor; and (3) children who are multidimensionally poor according to a Child MPI have different individual and family characteristics compared with children who are classified as poor according to a Household MPI. These three main findings reveal that it is necessary to analyse child poverty using an MPI that captures individual deprivations.

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Notes

  1. In Colombia only García and Ritterbusch (2015) have calculated a Child MPI using the child as unit of identification. This Child MPI included nine dimensions and 17 indicators and was calculated using the Quality of Life survey 2014. Given data limitations, it was not possible to compute this Child MPI.

  2. The results of the analysis were also computed using a k equal to 21%; thus, a child was considered multidimensionally poor if she was deprived in 21% or more of the weighted sum of deprivation or in more than one dimension. The results of this last analysis are available upon request.

  3. Under the Child MPI, children younger than age 5 were identified as poor mainly because of the inclusion of the indicator on learning environments. This explains why the proportion of children under 5 is so high in Group 2. In the case of the Household MPI, children aged 15 to 17 years have higher levels of deprivation and multidimensional poverty, mainly given because the high contribution of education achievement and school lag, which explains the higher proportion of this age group in Group 3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Cra 7 N°, 116-05, Bogotá, Colombia

    Mónica Pinilla-Roncancio, Ana Lorena Carrero & Catalina González-Uribe

  2. School of Government, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia

    Sandra García-Jaramillo

  3. Department of Social Welfare, Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Amy Ritterbusch

Authors
  1. Mónica Pinilla-Roncancio
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  2. Sandra García-Jaramillo
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  3. Ana Lorena Carrero
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  4. Catalina González-Uribe
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  5. Amy Ritterbusch
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Correspondence to Mónica Pinilla-Roncancio.

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Pinilla-Roncancio, M., García-Jaramillo, S., Carrero, A.L. et al. Child vs. Household MPIs in Colombia: Do they Identify the Same Children as Multidimensionally Poor?. Child Ind Res 13, 777–799 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-019-09639-1

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