Problematiche aperte nell’analisi della povertà: questioni di misura e progressi nel raggiungimento degli Obiettivi del Millennio

Poverty of peoples is a crucial concern in development as in research questions. Measures of poverty represent a key issue in implementing politics towards resolution of deprivation conditions. In the last 40 years we assisted at two main approaches. The traditional income-consumption based studies (one-dimensional) and the Sen’s capabilities-functionings approach (multidimensional) have mostly characterised deprivation and development analysis. An open debate grows on the evaluation of indigence and on method choice, mainly by a multidimensional view. Important implications on aggregation systems emerge, especially on weights and choice arbitrariness. Involvement of all stakeholders is considered as capital. This paper aims to turn a light on past and recent discussions on measuring poverty and development to further promote the conceptual and methodological debate on economical and social issues at a global, regional and national scale.